Evolution
by TakesTwoToTango
Summary: Their teamwork holding strong, Tiger and Bunny face a whole new challenge when the holidays roll around and an unexpected development rocks the contented status quo they've fallen into. Can their relationship survive the changes in their lives, both professional and personal? Can it survive its own evolution?
1. Veisalgia

Sternbild City was decorated richly in celebration of the holiday season, lights glittering like stars and branches of fir softening the edges of the city's harsh tiers. After Tiger and Bunny successfully stopped a bank robbery – well, mostly Bunny – Kotetsu and Barnaby were in the transport changing out of their suits back into their civilian clothes. Tonight, Hero TV was marathoning the best moments of the season so far, and, excepting the end of the world, the heroes' coms would be silent. It was Christmas Eve, and, until the morning of Boxing Day, the heroes were normal citizens.

As Kotetsu buttoned his vest, he glanced over at his partner. Barnaby was putting on his glasses, the flash of the lenses obscuring the bright green of his eyes. But, after all the time they'd spent together, fighting with and against each other, he could tell by the set of his shoulders that something unpleasant was on Brooks' mind. Sitting to tie the laces of his shoes, Kotetsu waited until Barnaby joined him on the bench, buckling up his trademark red boots. Bumping their shoulders together lightly, he waited until the blond looked over.

"You OK, Bunny?" Barnaby rolled his eyes at the unfortunate nickname, the tiny smile curling along his mouth a little strained.

"Fine," he answered shortly. But Tiger wasn't buying it. He nudged him again.

"Seriously. Something wrong, Barnaby?" The younger man opened his mouth to repeat his answer, his brows already beetling in irritation, but apparently he caught the seriousness of Kotetsu's expression. He couldn't decipher the emotions that flickered in Barnaby's opaque eyes, but waited for him to speak. When it mattered, he'd discovered, Barnaby Brooks Jr. took his time.

"Nothing. Seriously," he repeated, his voice a little sarcastic. Then it softened, along with his expression. "I just don't like the holidays very much," he conceded quietly.

"You don't like the holidays? But it's one of the best times of the year! Presents and snow and eggnog with rum! What's not to like?" Kotetsu enthused. Barnaby looked away, but not before Tiger caught the flash of grief and pain on his face, quickly controlled. He smacked his palm against his forehead, bracing his elbows against his knees before looking back over at his partner. "Sorry, Barnaby. It was about this time of year, right? When your parents… died?"

"They were murdered on Christmas Eve twenty four years ago," Barnaby clarified, his voice clinical but his eyes drenched in sorrow. Kotetsu opened his mouth, closed it, then straightened.

"OK. Listen, Kaede is with my mom for some ladies' holiday get-away at a spa down south. So why don't you come over to my lame bachelor pad and drink some good scotch?" Barnaby stood, intently focused on fastening his white belt instead of answering. Once finished, he reached up to adjust his glasses in a gesture Kotetsu had learned to recognize as a move of contemplation and discomfiture.

"You have good scotch?" the blond asked, his tone disbelieving. Kotetsu scoffed as he too stood.

"I have excellent scotch. Johnnie Walker Blue Label, my friend. Fire Emblem's idea of a birthday present." Barnaby tilted his head.

"That is excellent scotch." He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, and Kotetsu shoved his hands into his pocket, rocking onto his heels, displaying surprising patience. "I don't know, Kotetsu… I'm not exactly good company tonight." he murmured. The older man just settled his signature hat on his head, aiming a sharp smile at his partner.

"I'm not going to let you wallow in your mausoleum of an apartment. It's Christmas Eve, Bunny. And I'll be damned if I let a good friend of mine sit at home alone tonight. Come on," he urged, hardly giving Barnaby a choice as Kotetsu prodded his shoulder blade. The younger man just shook his head, fighting unsuccessfully against the small smile as they fell into step.

"You just don't want to sit at home alone tonight," Barnaby accused gently as they exited the transport. Kotetsu held up his hands in surrender.

"Yep, you caught me. Nothing worse than listening to Christmas carols all by your lonesome." Barnaby had to agree – carols were a close second to the music that triggered intense, brutal pain, that torturous opera the only sound more heinous.

The drive to Kotetsu's apartment in West Bronze was short, one Barnaby didn't make very often. His own apartment on North Gold was closer to Appollon offices, and was the more common meeting ground. He tried not to think about memories, twisted and warped as he followed Kotetsu into his average condo. He tried to appreciate the fact that Tiger's place was delightfully bare of decorations, nothing to sparkle and glint with hateful holiday cheer. It always ended up making him feel worse. At the first slide of smooth, strong alcohol down his throat, though, Barnaby felt a little better.

His muscles slowly unlocked one by one, and smiling didn't feel like dragging ice across his face. It felt so good, in fact, that he had no compunction about going in for another. A delightful buzz spread across his skin, the grief that had been weighing on him all day evaporating into the air. By the time the clock ticked past midnight, and the date was officially Christmas, he'd long since lost count of how many glasses of scotch he'd downed as the two men talked and joked. God, it felt good to laugh.

* * *

When Kotetsu carefully opened the door to his bedroom the next morning, he allowed himself a full smile at the sight of Barnaby Brooks, Jr., decorated hero and icon of a city, sprawled over his mattress. His golden locks, usually so carefully arranged, were slightly matted and sticking up like he'd been electrocuted. In his own comfortably drunken haze last night, Kotetsu had somehow remembered to yank off Barnaby's glasses before he'd passed out so they didn't get crushed during the night. It was a good thing too, since Bunny's face was firmly smashed into the pillow, snoring softly.

His black t-shirt was rucked up, baring the strong, smooth curve of his lower spine. The sheets were intricately tangled around his legs, one of his socks hanging half off his foot. He looked like a train wreck, and refreshingly human.

Setting the glass of water down on the nightstand next to Barnaby's glasses, Kotetsu winced when the glass clinked loudly against the wood. Barnaby started with a snort, eventually managing to push himself upright from his nest with a few hissing groans. As he swayed slightly, Kotetsu had to press his hand to his mouth to hide and stifle his smile. Bunny's eyes were hazed an incredibly unattractive red, one side of his face finely marked from the creases of the pillow.

"Good morning," Kotetsu said quietly, pretty unsuccessful at hiding the amusement in his voice. Bunny winced, pressing his palms to his temples like he was trying to hold his skull together as he leaned forward with a gut-deep moan.

"Stop screaming at me," he rasped, and for a second there, Kotetsu thought he was going to lose it and actually laugh in the poor sucker's face. Finally, though, he got his voice under control.

"You alright?" It was a silly question, but this was way too hilarious to just ignore. Barnaby finally managed to lift his head, peering at Kotetsu through the mild gloom with heavily squinted eyes.

"What the hell… happened last night? I feel as if I got run over by a truck," he murmured, his voice sounding like it was being scraped through sand. Never one to pass up such a chance, Kotetsu crossed his arms and propped his hip against the nightstand.

"You don't remember? Well, after knocking back a good couple shots, you decided that you wanted to see what all the fuss what about, and we ended up making out on the couch, murmuring sweet nothings all night long…" Finally, Kotetsu couldn't take it anymore, his voice cracking. He started cackling at the look of abject horror on Bunny's ragged face.

"Are you joking?" he managed in a dismayed whisper, if possible going even paler than the stark white he already was.

"Of course I am! You did no such thing. And even if you did, well. A, I'm straight. And B, there's a little matter of consent. You were so blitzed, even if you had gotten all handsy, you were in no condition to make that kind of decision."

"You're a terrible person. That's not even kind of funny," Barnaby growled into the palms of his hands, his fingers digging into his eyes. Taking pity on his bedraggled partner, Kotetsu straightened, still smiling a little.

"Here," he said, holding out the glass as a peace offering. There were a few ibuprofen pills nestled in his palm too, but there was no point if…

Yep. One glance at the water made Barnaby's face go an interesting shade of green, and he pressed his fist to his mouth as his cheeks slightly puffed. Before he could even ask, Kotetsu gestured over his shoulder with a jerk of his thumb.

"Bathroom," he directed. Bunny barely managed a nod before he was extracting himself from the bed, stumbling a little as the sheet clung to his legs. For being in such a bad state, he was still pretty fast, considering the way he tripped over his loosened sock and almost planted his face in the door frame. Even through the slammed door, Kotetsu could make out the wheezing hurls in the bathroom. Sighing, he made his way over, opening the door just as he heard the toilet flush.

Barnaby was practically draped over the toilet where he knelt on the fuzzy dark blue bathroom rug, his pale, clammy cheek pressed against the ceramic, his bruised eyes closed as his chest still heaved a little. Setting down the glass and tablets on the counter, Kotetsu wet a washcloth. Squatting down, he draped it over the back of his partner's neck. His long, dark lashes fluttering open at the contact, Bunny frowned at him.

"Am I dying?" he grumbled. Kotetsu braced his elbows against his knees, and couldn't quite hold back the smile.

"No, you're not dying. You're just magnificently hung over, my friend." Those green irises disappeared again as Barnaby closed his eyes and groaned into the toilet bowl.

"This is your fault," he moaned.

"Hey, I didn't pour it in you. You were drinking like it was going out of style. I assumed you knew what you were getting into, Bunny. The way you talked, it seemed like you knew that when you chase JW, it chases you back. Like a bull," Kotetsu said wryly, speaking from bitter, bitter experience. Hence his general restraint the night before.

"I hate Christmas," Bunny responded, his voice harsh and, under the hoarse fuzz of the hung over, pained. Taking pity on him, Kotetsu tugged him away from the toilet, brushing back the hair now stuck to his forehead and temples by sweat. Jesus, he was a mess. Smiling warmly, feeling weirdly protective of his grumpy, sick friend, Kotetsu reached up for the water and pills. He offered them again, Barnaby's chest jerking a little as he swallowed frantically and looked away.

"Trust me, Bunny. See if you can get this down. One of the reasons why you feel so craptastic is because you're dehydrated." The blond glanced back, his eyes narrowed in skepticism. Bravely, he sipped at the water and, when it decided to settle, managed to toss back the pills as well. Taking Barnaby's hands as he stood, Kotetsu slowly tugged him to his feet, waiting until he stopped tilting to release the long bones of his hands.

"Take a shower. I'll lay out some sweats for you, and once you're feeling a little better, come down to the kitchen." Kotetsu had a feeling that at any other time, Bunny would have likely ignored his suggestion and tagged on some snippy rejoinder. But considering the truly ugly headache he was undoubtedly battling and the way his jaw kept clenching, Tiger would bet serious cash that Barnaby was too queasy to defend even his precious distance.

So instead, the younger man just nodded in acquiescence, squeezing his eyes shut as the movement made his head feel like it was going to roll off his shoulders. Under the averagely pressured spray of the shower, Barnaby actually started feeling semi-human again. He very rarely indulged in alcohol, and only in the light rose wine he usually favored. Barnaby had actually never had scotch before last night, but knew of Johnnie Walker by reputation. He also knew drowning his sorrows and memories with such a potent liquor would be like killing a fly with a sledgehammer, but it had seemed like a plausible idea at the time. Certainly better than standing idly by as the wave of all the hateful anniversaries preceding last night that had bowled him over before took him under yet again.

The hangover was distinctly unpleasant, but the relief at seeing Kotetsu's goofy grin on this of all mornings had made the nausea bizarrely worth it. Luckily, Kotetsu preferred his sweats long and baggy – Barnaby's slightly longer frame was comfortably attired in softly worn black pants, a gray t-shirt, and a bright blue hoodie emblazoned with the TopMag emblem. He had to admit there was something about a hot shower and soft, comfortable clothes that did a heart-sore man good. Scraping his wet hair back into a rough ponytail, Barnaby squinted and fumbled around the bedroom until he located his glasses. When he shuffled out to the hallway, he recoiled like he'd been slapped at the first ray of light. In reality, the sunlight was muted at best and only one lamp was lit, but it felt like hot lances in his eyeballs.

As Barnaby recovered in the soft darkness of the hallway, he could make out Kotetsu talking down in the kitchen. His brain still addled by the nausea, it took Barnaby a moment to realize that his partner was speaking to his daughter on the phone, not himself.

"I know, sweetheart. But come on, can't a dad wish his daughter 'Merry Christmas?' I don't think it's embarrassing. No, I do not. Well, did you like the present I got you?" As Barnaby slowly, carefully made his way down the stairs, he caught a glimpse of Kotetsu with his eyes raised to the ceiling and his fingers crossed. He had his old-fashioned mobile smashed between his ear and shoulder, frying his ubiquitous rice as he spoke to Kaede. Apparently, her reception of the gift was positive, as relief washed over Kotetsu's face.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Kaede. Hey, I love you. Tell Grandma I love her too, OK? Bye, sweetie." The connection clicked off just as Barnaby stepped off the stairs. He made his way over to the kitchen table like he was crippled, which wasn't too far off the mark considering the way he felt.

"Hey there, champ!" Kotetsu said brightly once he saw him. Barnaby closed one eye and slightly turned his head away from his partner, wincing at his loud voice. Realistically, he knew it was hardly louder than his normal tone, but it felt like Kotetsu was talking to him through a bullhorn.

"Hello," Barnaby managed huskily, swallowing against his dry throat as he sat down at the table like his bones were made of old newspaper.

"Here," Kotetsu offered, sliding a plate with two pieces of dry toast over towards Barnaby along with another glass of water. "Your blood sugar is rock bottom, and this shouldn't piss off your stomach too badly." Carefully, Barnaby nipped into the toast, relieved when his guts shuddered only slightly. Kotetsu settled across from him with his platter of completed rice, humming happily as he scooped up the mayonnaise-scented meal.

"You're surprisingly skilled at this caretaking business," Barnaby murmured, all of his focus arrowed on making the sentence sound even slightly like his usual tone. Kotetsu glanced up under the dark hair that fell into his eyes, a smile curving his lips. Still chewing, he dropped his spoon and held up his left hand, pointing towards the silver ring that dully glinted there.

"I _was_ married, Bunny. Not to mention, I went through the toddler phase. Hell on wheels, toddlers are. Kaede was tricky, too – her two's were a dream. But as soon as she turned three, she turned into demon spawn. Not to mention Tomoe and I were a little party hardy our first couple years of married life. I've learned the hard way how to deal with a hangover."

"I think it just means you're a good father." Kotetsu beamed at the quiet compliment, revealing the rice grain stuck next to one of his canines. For some reason, Barnaby thought it was kind of…endearing.

"You'd be a good dad, too." Barnaby choked a little on his toast, telling himself it was just because it was dry. Taking a quick sip of water, he cleared his throat, but his voice still came out croaky.

"What?"

"You would," Kotetsu insisted. "You'd always remember birthdays and important dates, and could hold a line without giving in. It makes you feel like a bastard, but going back on the rules you set down just comes back to bite you in the butt later." He spoke with the weariness of experience. Barnaby didn't know what to say. He was struck even more speechless by what Kotetsu said next.

"You have a lot more heart than you give yourself credit for, Barnaby." The blond just mutely stared at Kotetsu, the older man returning his look with a surprisingly compelling gaze. Scraping his plate clean, Kotetsu pushed back from the table, depositing his plate in the sink, sipping at the coffee cup he'd left cooling on the counter. Immobilized for a moment longer, Barnaby collected himself in a rush, taking another bite of toast to keep himself from blurting something untoward. Or stupidly heartfelt.

"Might not be a bad idea to see if you can manage a nap," Kotetsu suggested over his shoulder from where he stood freshening his coffee. Turning and leaning against the counter, he looked at Barnaby with a slightly lifted brow. "You may not feel up to, but it could be a good way to get rid of that headache."

"I don't have a headache," Barnaby automatically denied, despite the fact that he felt like the bones of his skull were trying to squeeze his eyes out of their sockets. Kotetsu just pursed his lips slightly, somewhere between a smile and scowl, as he sipped his coffee, considering Barnaby over the rim of his mug.

"Mm-hmm," he grunted shortly. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. The couch is free." It was only then that Barnaby realized Kotetsu was still in the clothes he'd worn last night. Glancing over his shoulder as Tiger trotted up the stairs, Barnaby winced at the heavily dented couch cushions complimented with a rumpled throw. Not only had he made an absolute ass of himself last night and behaved like a complete idiot this morning, but he'd kicked Kotetsu out of his own bed. Lovely.

Taking a final bite of the toast, Barnaby slowly stood, gripping the back of the chair for a moment as a wave of dizziness nearly sent him toppling to the floor. Once he'd regained control over his equilibrium, he tottered to the couch, gratefully sinking down. Considering he still felt like he was rocking on a boat out in the bay, he slowly flopped over on his side, carefully positioning his head on one of the couch's arms. Since it was there, and he was stupidly tired, Barnaby blindly groped, finally snagging the edge of the fleece throw. As he dragged it over his shoulder and tucked in his feet, he could make out the dim thunder of water against porcelain upstairs.

Closing his eyes against the thudding in his temples, Barnaby was suddenly assaulted by the image of Kotetsu in the shower. God, because this morning wasn't difficult enough. Scrunching his brow as he forcefully cleared his brain, Barnaby contented himself with the faint rhythm of the plumbing. He was asleep in another seventy seconds.

* * *

Refreshed and having shed his own headache, Kotetsu jogged down the stairs in an outfit not dissimilar to Bunny's, ready for his second cup of coffee. It was only once he was in the kitchen that he realized how noisy he'd been. Wincing a little, he crept to the living room, relieved and smug at the sight of Barnaby conked out on the couch. Instead of pivoting to pour his second cup, though, Kotetsu stood still for a moment, studying his partner.

His color was up, if only a little. Always fair, Bunny had been downright ashen that morning. He was still a little pale, but there was the faintest brush of color along his cheekbones. Those spooky green eyes were closed, his girlishly long eyelashes fanning along the delicate skin under his eyes that still had the tendency to bruise from lack of sleep. His breathing was soft and regular, his brow now smoothed. Long frame tucked under the throw, Kotetsu thought he looked… vulnerable. And that was not how one usually thought of Barnaby Brooks, Jr.

Moving with an admirable attempt at stealth, Kotetsu edged closer to the couch, reaching out to slowly remove Barnaby's glasses. It was a testament to how badly he was out of it and how much his head hurt, Kotetsu thought, to have him forgetting to take off his glasses twice in a row. Carefully depositing them on the living room table, Kotetsu paused before returning to the kitchen. Bunny's pretty hair was back in a slightly lopsided, roughly tamed tail, his mouth – lush, he supposed it could be described as – finally relaxed instead of thinned in a grimace of pain and sickness.

Looking at Bunny, the man he'd known and trusted for four years, Kotetsu experienced a bizarre throb in his chest, a pulse that hurt and felt weirdly good at the same time. Rubbing the heel of his hand against his breastbone, Kotetsu frowned before shaking his head and turning to get his damn coffee.

* * *

_Fell in love with this series very, very hard. These two goobers make my goddamn day. I have this one and an AU I'm toodling around with in between Phoenix updates. What is it with me and characters voiced by Yuri Lowenthal? _

_Hope you like it!_

_Love, Tango_


	2. Petals

Bunny slept for a solid two hours.

Kotetsu spent the time trying to occupy himself with the paperwork Barnaby had no idea he brought home, doing the dishes from both last night and this morning, and looking over Kaede's transfer papers, yet again, to Hero Academy. In the quiet of his room, he could admit that it scared the living bejeesus out of him, the idea of Kaede aiming to emulate her father's life. He would have never wanted the hero's life for her, even the slower, easier pace of Second League.

But she was learning to argue like her mother, and he might as well have a spine made of wet noodle when it came to that sort of needling. Hence his finally giving way to her incessant requests and agreeing that it was time for Kaede to ship off to HA. Finally, once the papers had frightened and depressed him enough, he went downstairs, plopping down on the armchair in the living room, sipping at a bottle of water, idly waiting for his partner to wake up.

It was one of his creepier moments, but there was nothing else quiet to entertain him and, under the joking and smug care, he was a little worried about Bunny. His own memories of last night were a little soft around the edges, but there was no way he'd imagined the tears that had silently slipped down Barnaby's cheeks, totally unnoticed, when he laughingly recounted the way his mother and father had gotten into an argument over the correct type of sprinklers to use on the front lawn and ended up hosing each other down. Barnaby had watched in wide-eyed surprise from the porch – what little kid didn't leap into mud at the first chance, Kotetsu wondered – until his father had dragged him down, claiming that if they were going to play in the mud, then their little piglet would have to join them.

It was a charming tale, and spoke of the character of Bunny's parents. But the reverent, quiet grief and obvious suffering that he still hefted around was frankly disturbing. No one should live like that, silently carrying all that agony. Kotetsu really had no idea how Bunny managed it. It made him sad that he had to try and manage it at all.

When Bunny stirred awake this time, much more gracefully than that morning, Kotetsu couldn't quite dim the smile that spread over his face at the sight of the blond emerging from his cocoon of the blanket and sleep.

"Well, hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Bunny blinked over at him as he slowly pushed himself upright, and, damn, he _was_ beautiful. Kotetsu could admit that, objectively. The warm tint of sleep brushed his cheekbones, his mouth soft and relaxed as his verdant eyes slowly met his. Kotetsu told himself he wasn't worried that he appreciated his partner's looks; it was like admitting that a work of art was beautiful. And if that work of art happened to move and breathe and glare at him for being dumb, even better.

Or, in this case, roll his eyes at the lame greeting. Kotetsu thought he'd been funny, but if Bunny was rolling his eyes, then he _had _to be feeling better. He'd been worryingly accepting this morning. And what did that say when Kotetsu didn't like it when he and Bunny weren't arguing and poking at each other?

"Hello, Kotetsu. What time is it?" Barnaby said huskily as he rubbed his fingers over his eyes, back to his crisp, clever speech patterns. It was good to hear; he'd been a little strained that morning.

"About lunch time," Kotetsu replied brightly, trying to ignore the way Bunny's voice slid up his spine like smooth, smoky fingers. _Since when?_, he wondered to himself as he began the fixings for scrambled eggs.

Barnaby watched Kotetsu launch himself out of the chair and trot to the kitchen, heaving a sigh of relief once he passed. It was nothing new, one of them sleeping around the other. Occasionally, they took naps in the transport after a particularly rough mission, or took advantage of the couch in the office when they were especially exhausted.

So he wasn't sure why it felt so different to wake up today and find Kotestu there, like some happy guard dog. As he stretched and slid the hair tie from his hair, ruffling the still damp strands, Barnaby wandered to the kitchen. Kotetsu busily poured eggs and milk into the skillet with a hiss that made him smile like a little boy. Feeling much better, and actually hungry, Barnaby made his way to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water before leaning onto the counter.

"I know you said that your mom and Kaede are away, but do you have any other plans today? I don't want to keep you from them." Kotetsu just glanced over at him with an easy grin as he fluffed the eggs.

"Nope. Muramasa's hanging out with his girlfriend's family," he explained, his tone clearly hinting at his enduring surprise that his stoic older brother was in a relationship with someone, "and everybody else is with family. So, it's just you and me today, Bunny." Barnaby sipped the water to hide his relief. He had always demanded being alone during the time around the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Kotetsu was extremely skilled, or incredibly lucky, at yanking him out of those throes of mourning and forcing him to function. He'd never appreciated it at first, and had been downright ugly in his protests. But despite his instinctive flinch from company, he'd come to realize he depended on it.

Barnaby silently pulled out plates and silverware, assuming by the sheer number of eggs Kotetsu had made that he was cooking for two – there was no way Barnaby could manage eating eight eggs. It was a rhythm they'd established some time ago when Kotetsu would occasionally come over to his place after work for dinner instead of going home after the babysitting incident with little Sam. It had irritated Barnaby to no end initially, but now they moved with an ease of long experience. That experience also told him that dinner would be up to him – it was only fair.

The eggs were good – they should be, since Barnaby had been the one to convince Kotetsu to open his cuisine horizons, and had also been the one to start teaching him. Relieved when the food put any lingering nausea to rest, he peeled the banana Kotetsu had deposited by his plate, realizing by now that everything his partner had fed him probably were the best things to eat after a hangover.

"So I'm thinking we go get some food and make ourselves a Christmas feast. What do you say?" Kotetsu asked around a mouthful of egg. Barnaby wasn't sure how he could think about food even as he ate it, but a quiet, atrophied part of him liked the idea. So he nodded, and listened as Kotetsu thought out loud.

"There's a little Mom and Pop grocery store over on East Bronze that's open every day of the year. Once we get what we want, we can go to your place and hang out." Barnaby allowed his brows to dip as he finished chewing, still in possession of enough manners not to talk with food in his mouth, unlike his partner.

"Why go back to my apartment?" Kotetsu just lifted a brow, smiling smugly.

"Because I don't have a state-of-the-art food processor."

"It's a juicer," Barnaby primly reminded him. Kotetsu had never let it go once he found out that Barnaby liked making carrot juice from actual carrots. In the month following the discovery, his Bunny teasing had been merciless.

"One of those too," Kotetsu said with a snicker.

He did have a point, though. Kotetsu's kitchen equipment was provincial at best, and if they wanted to make anything even approaching holiday food, they'd need Barnaby's kitchen. Not to mention, Kotetsu's pickings were a little slim. He'd just about run the full gamut of his capabilities in nursing Barnaby back from his hangover.

The thought kindled an odd tingle in his stomach, so Barnaby ignored it in favor of getting dressed. His own clothes smelled like whiskey and sweat, so Kotetsu lent him a pair of his slacks and a grey t-shirt. The man's ridiculously long legs made up for their height difference, his boots covering up the higher hems, and they were actually around the same size at the waist. Using a spare toothbrush from the multi-pack Kotetsu kept under the bathroom sink, Barnaby finally admitted that the shadows under his eyes probably wouldn't go away until tomorrow. Not unless he bowed to the ultimate vanity and used the concealer Agnes often shoved on him, reminding him ruthlessly that heroes didn't look tired. Ever. Shrugging on his leather jacket over the t-shirt, Barnaby brushed his hair into a half-hearted semblance of order before following Kotetsu out to their cars.

He'd discovered in his time as a hero that the more disheveled he was, the less likely it would be that people recognized him. The public expected Barnaby Brooks, Jr., their polished and pretty pet with sleek golden curls and perfect ivory skin. But Bunny, with his messy blond hair occasionally pulled back into a stubby tail and dark circles under his eyes, could just be a regular guy, and that was sometimes a definite relief, no matter how heavily Barnaby usually depended on the rigor of his grooming.

It worked rather flawlessly – no one in the tiny grocery store even hinted at the presence of a hero, which gave Barnaby and Kotetsu all the privacy they needed to argue over food. Since it was Christmas, Barnaby didn't want to see a single grain of rice, but relented by bribing Kotetsu with meat. They ended up settling on beef stew, which was one of Barnaby's favorite dishes anyway, and had a homey enough feel to satisfy any holiday cravings the two men had.

As they stood by the baked goods, Bunny seriously inspecting two loaves of bread for flaws, Kotetsu let his attention wander. As his gaze drifted up, he smiled wickedly. Always eager for a chance to tease the stoic Bunny, Kotesu bumped shoulders with him, jerking his chin up once he looked over with grumpily narrowed brows.

They were standing under a branch of mistletoe.

Bunny's reactions were so minute, that, had he not known him as well as he did, Kotetsu would have probably missed them. His eyes flicked up the berries, back down to Kotetsu, widened ever so slightly in an expression that smacked uncharacteristically of panic, and his throat jumped faintly. Then, he took a gigantic step away from Kotetsu.

"You're ridiculous," he drawled, turning his attention back to the two loaves of bread he was deciding on. Kotetsu just laughed, but he was pretty sure he caught a note of strain in Barnaby's voice under the sarcastic dismissal, his face that still, silent mask that was as cool as it was brittle. Finally, Bunny decided on the batch of bread that would better serve their needs and headed over to the produce section. As he trailed after, Kotetsu glanced over, noticing small dents littering the surface of the discarded bread where Barnaby's long fingers had been.

As Bunny started to select potatoes that measured up to his skyscraper standards, Kotetsu stood on the other side of the display, his arms crossed as he pondered Barnaby's reaction. Finally, after Bunny had almost selected all the potatoes they'd need, he spoke.

"Have you never kissed someone before?" Bunny's head jerked up at his question, his eyes crystalline and shocked, the glitter in them almost as if he was feeling hunted. Before his expression had a chance to morph into irritation or disdain, a faint blush bloomed along Bunny's cheekbones, and Kotetsu had his answer.

"You haven't, have you?" Kotetsu said wonderingly, his voice tinged with laughter on the edges. It was just so absurd – Barnaby Brooks, Jr., who, if he allowed it, could conceivably suffocate to death under the pile of women who threw themselves at him, had never locked lips with anyone.

"O-of course I have," Bunny immediately denied, the atypical stutter more damning than a simple admission. Kotetsu smiled, but he didn't feel like mocking Bunny, like he would if he found out something similarly strange about Antonio. Something about Barnaby's wide eyes and frantic swallow made him seem… fragile. So Kotetsu just shrugged, softening his smile as he held out of his hands, palms out in a sign of peace.

"Hey, it's no big deal. You move at your own pace, and you're ready when you're ready. No shoving or pushing is worth the worry. I was just a little surprised, that's all. After all, you are Sternbild's resident sex symbol." Whatever was throwing Bunny for a loop seemed to back off a little at what he said. He still looked flustered, but not genuinely distressed. Running a hand through the bangs that fell in his eyes, Bunny looked away, heaving a tiny breath of what Kotetsu assumed was relief before looking back with an almost embarrassed look in his eyes.

"I am _not _Sternbild's sex symbol." Before Kotetsu could argue, considering he'd been present at most of Bunny's photo shoots and knew personally that the man was sex on a stick, Barnaby smirked. It didn't quite have his usual glinting edge, but it was better than the fear – _fear?_ – that had sparked in his eyes. "Imagine how hurt Fire Emblem would be if he heard you say that."

Kotetsu just laughed as he followed Bunny to a collection of celery stalks. "Don't worry; Nathan knows he's a god in select circles." After that, the tension slowly dissipated as they finished their shopping, but Kotetsu had to wonder. Was the reason for Barnaby's romantic inexperience the same as his social inexperience? That he'd been a tortuously lonely, grieving kid whose only support system had been the bastard who'd murdered his parents and graffitied his memories? But, regardless of the reason, Kotetsu was here for Barnaby now, and he'd do his damndest to see to it that his partner was never abandoned and abused like that again.

Punching Bunny lightly on the shoulder when he launched into a snobbish tirade on the importance of selecting the right carrots, especially funny because Barnaby was well aware of the rabbit connotations, Kotetsu resisted the urge to just sling his arm over Bunny's shoulders and tug the guy in close. He still seemed a little skittish after their kiss conversation.

During the drive home through tentative snow backed by an iron sky, Barnaby tried to shed the last dredges of tension that had suffused his body like electricity when Kotetsu had drawn his attention to that innocuous bunch of berries. It was a ridiculous reaction to an archaic tradition, but it was harder to slide behind his shield after years of Kotetsu firmly tugging him from out behind it over and over again.

He couldn't tell Kotetsu the truth – God only knew what it would do to their partnership. Besides, Barnaby had long ago realized that there was absolutely no point in dwelling on it – why make himself miserable for absolutely no reason? By the time he pulled into his building's parking garage and started gathering up groceries, Kotetsu quickly joining him to share the load, Barnaby had almost completely relaxed again. Years of forcing himself to function through stress and anxiety came in handy at the oddest moments.

By one in the afternoon, they were elbows deep in preparation. Moving from memory, one he couldn't quite trace to its origins, Barnaby directed Kotetsu, accepting his determined but occasionally clumsy help in chopping vegetables. It wasn't too delicate of a dish – Kotetsu did not usually lend himself well to finesse. But considering the silly guy could make him laugh on this of all days, Barnaby reminded himself that finesse wasn't everything.

As the crockpot, filled with meat, vegetables, and broth, simmered, Barnaby looked a little lost now that he'd accomplished their agreed-upon mission. So Kotetsu trotted back to the cavernous living room, sparing a brief glance at that lonely black chair before turning down the hall to the linen closet by the dim bedroom. Bunny slowly followed, the question silently forming across his face. Dragging pillows and comforters and blankets back out to the living room, Kotetsu dropped them on the oaken carpet of the sunken living room with flourish.

"Is there any particular reason why you're dumping my extra bedding on the floor, Kotetsu?" It was said with snarky disdain, but Kotetsu had learned to listen through that default defense, and heard the genuine note of curiosity and bewilderment in Bunny's smooth tone.

"Because we're going to watch Christmas movies until dinner's ready," Kotetsu announced, pleased with his idea. There was only that one chair in the living room, and Kotetsu didn't think it was a great idea for the pair of them to snuggle down in Barnaby's rarely used bed to watch some classic flicks. Not with the way his brain had been acting up today. So why not make a couple of nests out in the living room? He and Tomoe had done it once during a power outage, candles flickering as they cuddled in a mess of pillows and blankets as they ate ice cream so it wouldn't melt.

Quickly backpedaling from the romantic memory (Tomoe had been fairly certain Kaede had been conceived that night), Kotetsu cleared his throat, hoping his darker skin hid his blush as he returned to the closet for more pillows and blankets. Bunny still stood, his arms crossed as he leaned against the corner, now in a long-sleeved black cashmere Henley that was striking against his pale skin and gilded hair and lush designer jeans that, unlike his usual fare, weren't plastered against his muscles.

It was his rarely worn casual wear. Yet even at his most informal, Barnaby still looked glossy next to Kotetsu with old jeans worn white at the stress points, a hole in one knee and ragged at the hems. His white t-shirt was paint splattered from when he'd helped Kaede paint her room an eye-searing shade of magenta, his green sweater gigantic and soft from years of washings. Ruffling his hair a little at Bunny's continued silence, Kotetsu began divvying up the pillows, wondering where else he could steal them from so he wouldn't have to deal with a jacked-up spine tomorrow as he nudged more pillows towards the one he considered Bunny's pile.

Finally, Barnaby straightened with a sigh, pressing his palm against a panel in the wall. When it slid open, he retrieved a thick, six foot long pad and several blankets, tossing them into the pile Kotetsu had been making for him. Bunny then walked over and silently shoved all but three of the pillows back in Kotetsu's pile. He smiled winningly as Barnaby set about making his nest with exact precision.

It was only when Bunny was neatly tucking a sheet around the sleeping pad did Kotetsu realize that when he didn't sleep in his chair (because Kotetsu lectured him about it) and didn't sleep in his bed (because apparently he was still having issues with nightmares), Barnaby slept on this mini mattress. If that didn't suck the glee at the childish game he'd concocted right out of Kotetsu, he didn't know what could. No one should live like this – how could he allow his best friend, his partner, to be so miserable?

Determined to make up for it, Kotetsu quickly jostled his pillows and blankets into some semblance of a foundation before snatching up what he'd considered the prize from the undecided pile – a solid down comforter the color of cream at least three inches thick. Despite his tendency towards being colder than the average person, Barnaby often didn't think to up the heat in his place – Kotetsu found it comfortable, but there was a reason Bunny often wore long-sleeves or a jacket.

As Bunny settled back onto his heels, his assembly completed, Kotetsu strode over, snapping the comforter out over Barnaby's tidy set-up. Toeing over the last few undecided pillows and nodding at the cozy effect, he then marched off to the kitchen, returning with tall mugs of hot apple cider that Bunny had noticed in the grocery store and demanded was essential.

As the pair of them settled down next to one another, Barnaby tossed Kotetsu the remote, as he didn't have the faintest idea what qualified at a Christmas movie – he'd never seen one, or at least didn't remember ever seeing one. After scrolling through the channels for a few moments, diligently avoiding the HeroTV channel, Kotetsu triumphantly squawked, selecting a movie with an innocuously simple title, less than five minutes in. Sipping his cider as a deep voice eloquently and cleverly narrated four little boys pressing their noses up against the bitterly cold glass of a mall window before Christmas, Barnaby smiled as Kotetsu chuckled. Consciously, he made a serious effort to enjoy the film for its own merits, for Kotetsu's sake. There was absolutely no point mourning his complete lack of a childhood after his parents' deaths when Kotetsu was trying so hard to make the day at least pleasant for him.

While the two brothers wrestled over radio rights – which made it apparent to Barnaby that this movie was set at least sixty years ago – he allowed part of his mind to wander to when Kotetsu had added his finishing touches to Barnaby's impromptu bed. Samantha had always been worried about Barnaby being too cold – along with the comforter, she'd sent him several sweaters for his birthday about five years ago. It had been one of her more blatant attempts to get him to pay attention to his body temperature and adjust accordingly.

That's why he didn't use the high-quality blanket or wear the sweaters – they reminded him coldly of his deceased housekeeper. He hadn't wanted to spoil Kotetsu's obvious fun by demanding that he put the blanket back, so Barnaby just pretended he hadn't seen it, certain that once Kotetsu laid eyes on it, he'd leap at the chance to burrow under it. But, of course, Tiger then proceeded to give him the best blanket, apparently unsatisfied with Barnaby's utilitarian arrangement. And the determined look in his eyes told Barnaby that it wouldn't be worth the argument, no matter how his heart lurched as he stroked a hand over the smooth cover.

He glanced over at Kotetsu as the little boy onscreen plotted his rebuttal against a classic mother denial to his desired, dangerous Christmas gift while his younger brother limply shoved porridge at his mouth. His partner snorted, looking like a five year old in a pillow fort, content as a cat. Deciding to take his cue from Kotetsu, Barnaby finally relaxed under the blanket, warmed by the cider and Tiger's laughter as the movie's young main character slipped into a fantasy of rescuing his family from dangerous marauders.

It was a clever, entertaining film, Kotetsu flopping out of his den onto his back as he laughed like a hyena when then the younger brother was ridiculously wrapped for the winter cold, so bundled that his arms stuck out like sticks from a snowman and reducing him to a floundering whale in the snow when he fell over. Barnaby had a feeling that Kotetsu would have succumbed to foolish dares like the main character's friend, briefly entertaining the image of Kotetsu stuck to a frozen light pole by his tongue. The ridiculous lamp – sorry, _award_ – wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility when it came to his partner, either. They groaned in unison at the swearing fiasco on the side of a freeway with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof of the family car, and Barnaby smiled like a loon at Kotetsu's cheers when the young protagonist finally got his lusted-after Christmas present, deliriously in love with it, despite a rocky first outing.

As the credits rolled, both of them sprawled contentedly in their makeshift dens, Kotetsu toyed with the handle his empty mug. There was a small, slightly sad smile on his face, and Barnaby wondered at it. The movie, despite the time of year it had been set, hadn't been remotely sorrowful – its tongue and cheek humor was very suited to Kotetsu. So Barnaby just stayed quiet as his partner wrestled with his thoughts. Finally, he spoke.

"Tomoe loved that movie." Ah, of course. Feeling his heart clench for his partner's loss, which he often forgot had ever happened, considering Kotetsu dealt with his personal tragedy so much better than he did, Barnaby straightened slightly from under the comforter.

"You really loved her, didn't you?" he said quietly. He knew that was the case, but had always admired Kotetsu's devotion to his late wife, though he'd never admit it, not even under torture.

"Yeah, I did. She was my girl," Kotetsu admitted quietly.

"You were always together?"

"Since high school," Kotetsu said with a little pride. Barnaby already knew that, and prepared to ease the subject away from the topic that clearly pained Kotetsu when his brows furrowed a little, a crooked smile easing across his mouth as his eyes shot to the side.

"Well, mostly." At Barnaby's raised brow, Kotetsu continued. "We took a three month break after graduation. Stretching our boundaries a little, I guess. Anyway, I… experimented a little." Trying to sort out the extent of experimentation that would warrant the kind of self-deprecating embarrassment that rang in Kotetsu's tone, Barnaby settled on the one that seemed most likely.

"Like BDSM?" Barnaby tried. He was inexperienced, not ignorant. Kotetsu flushed, scrunching up his nose slightly.

"What? No. Like… guys," he eventually admitted. The intense quiet that blanketed the room was interrupted by the jangle of commercials. Blindly scrabbling for the remote, Barnaby jabbed at a few random buttons, eventually lucky enough to land on the mute button, his eyes never leaving Kotetsu. This felt important, monumental. So he struggled to keep his reaction to a minimum.

"You've been with men?" he eventually managed, impressed that his voice sound normal despite the fact that it felt like he'd inhaled ice, freezing his lungs. Kotetsu seemed to be moving past his embarrassment know that he'd said it out loud, shrugging a little as he cuddled down deeper in the blankets.

"Yeah. I liked guys, but I loved Tomoe. Made it an easy choice. But, you know, no judgment. As long as everyone's of age and consenting, why should it matter?" Suddenly, his comparative ease around Fire Emblem made a great deal more sense. Not just because of his personal preferences, but because of his philosophy.

"You are a genuinely laid back man, Kotetsu," Barnaby observed quietly, reaching up to adjust his glasses to give his hands something to do. Tiger smiled over at him, relief like a sun gleaming behind the amber of his eyes.

"You're not quite as stuck up as you pretend to be, either, Bunny," he returned with a saucy grin. Flicking a strand of hair behind his ear, Barnaby reached for a calm, casual tone.

"I thought you said you were straight," he said. Kotetsu shrugged.

"I started thinking of myself that way after Tomoe and I got married. With her, I just wasn't as interested in men anymore. I had explored my wild streak, and knew there was a part of me that wanted that, but it just seemed to fade with time. And, honestly, it's a lot simpler to say that you're straight instead of fairly bi-sexual with heterosexual leanings. Sexuality is a complicated, tricky thing, my friend." With that, he pushed his way free of the blankets and wandered to the kitchen, rooting around for snacks. Barnaby took a moment before he stood to check on the stew to make sure he was fully in control of his faculties.

Kotetsu was kind of surprised at how well Bunny took his little bomb about his sexual orientation. He hadn't meant to bring it up – it'd been a long time ago, and he hadn't felt the need to seek out a man since, not to mention it had become habit to keep personal matters to himself. But it had just sort of flopped out of his mouth and into the air. He wasn't embarrassed about that time period – not really. God, a time when Wild Tiger had been truly feral. He had been safe (he wasn't completely stupid), but he'd quickly figured out the ins and outs of sex when there wasn't a female involved.

If the act of sex was a solar system, then sex with a man was a completely different planet from sex with a woman. The basic concepts were the same – drive and pleasure, but from there, it was a whole different game. His eyes glazed over a little as Kotetsu thought about it, silently munching on a bag of apple chips while Bunny fussed over the stew. He might be romanticizing it a bit with the distance of time, but damn, it had been fun.

Snagging a few more snacks to get them through the next film – they had another few hours before the stew was ready – the men settled back down, and Kotetsu began scrolling through the channels. Besides a few obvious choices, they always showed the weirdest stuff on Christmas. Catching sight of his brother's favorite holiday film, starting in another few minutes, Kotetsu chose the classic channel and muted the stealthy shoot-out on a small boat in black and white, turning back to Barnaby. He'd been cool with what Kotetsu had talked about earlier, but sometimes Barnaby's true reaction to something unexpected was incredibly difficult to read.

"You sure you're OK with it?" he said sort of out of the blue. Barnaby looked up from the container of avocado hummus he was opening, his golden brows slightly furrowed in question.

"With, ah, with what I said earlier," Kotetsu continued, trying to explain it in the most tactful way possible. Bunny's brows rippled faintly, his face still controlled and impassive.

"I have no issue what your orientation, Kotetsu. We're partners, no matter what." With that, he looked down at the packet of whole wheat crackers he'd brought with him and dipped one in the green spread. Kotetsu loosed a relieved breath, determined to believe Bunny's statement. He had no reason to lie – their teamwork would suffer if he tried.

So, as the opening credits started on the film, almost forty years older than the first one they'd watched, Kotetsu finished off the apple chips, allowing the sensation of family and homesickness to wash over him like warm, salty water over a wound. This was a much more thoughtful movie than the other one, prodding at the questions of regret and how the view of your life can narrow only to the bad, blinding you to all the good. Muramasa liked the more contemplative tale, looking at the effects of the character's life from a much broader view, from a point not at first obvious.

In a roundabout way, it always reminded Kotetsu of why he was a hero. He may break his bones and expensive buildings, and he may have to listen to lectures and deal with the media, but that was all incidental to the good. To the lives saved and changed, the positive differences made. The sacrifices were always worth the cost – he had to believe that, firmly, even if that wasn't immediately apparent. And it was nice once in a while to be reminded how much you matter, how different things would be if you weren't who you were at that very moment.

And damn if the main character's wife didn't remind him of Tomoe – sweet and smart and strong, knowing how to help her husband before he even knew how to ask for it. The lead actor was one of his mother's favorites, a tall, gangly fellow who expressed his character's joy and bitter disappointment with equal skill.

When the man returned to that fateful bridge, pressed his forehead to his knuckles and begged, pleaded with an intensity that always made Kotetsu's heart lodge in his throat, he saw out of the corner of his eye Barnaby's fingers dash under the rim of his glasses in a quick swiping motion. And when the man was again reunited with his family, surrounded by the townspeople he'd done so much for in turn supporting him in his hour of need, Barnaby smiled, laughing very quietly at the celebration of an angel earning his wings.

They sat for a while as the credits slowly flicked past, digesting the movie. Kotetsu had seen it before over the years, but it always demanded thought, respect. Just when he was going to poke Bunny about dinner to break the quiet and the tension, the buzzer in the kitchen chimed. Jerking a little, clearly startled out of deep thought, Barnaby unfolded his legs like a gazelle, striding to the kitchen to deal with dinner.

As Bunny doctored the stew, Kotetsu began setting the table, falling into the domestic rhythm Barnaby had operated under earlier. He was as at home in Bunny's stylish kitchen as he was in his own homey one. Sitting down with the steaming soup, warm slices of crusty bread, and glasses of rose wine, the two men chatted through the hearty meal. Kotetsu made an exaggerated impersonation of Lloyds, which almost made Barnaby snort his wine through his nose. Later, Bunny recounted an embarrassing tale about Antonio's newest, certainly creative attempts to deflect Nathan's teasing attentions. Kotetsu laughed so hard he had to push away from the table to hold his ribs.

Long after their bowls had been mopped clean by bread (which Barnaby had watched Kotetsu do in slightly horrified surprise before following suit) and Kotetsu had managed to convince Barnaby to just pack up the leftovers and leave the dishes for later, they sat at the table, chatting like old men. Barnaby had wisely limited himself to a single glass of wine during dinner, Kotetsu following his example. So they sipped at hot cider, lounging in their chairs, the comfort they felt in each other's company hard-earned. Suddenly, Kotetsu bolted upright, slamming his mug down on the table hard enough to send the cider slopping over the sides.

"Oh, crap! I forgot!" Barnaby looked at him askance as he efficiently mopped up the spill.

"Forgot what?" he asked calmly, eyeing Kotetsu's fingers, relieved to see them free of burns.

"Your present!" Before Barnaby could protest that he didn't need a present, Kotetsu stood and loped out to the living room. Moving to the kitchen doorway, he stood ready to call him back from rushing out to purchase a Christmas gift the day of. He fell silent, however, when Kotetsu pawed through his jacket, emerging triumphantly with a broad, flat box. Remembering Kotetsu's awkward dodge when Barnaby had offered to hang up his coat, he wondered at his lack of suspicion at the time. It must have been the groceries demanding his attention. Kotetsu presented the box, poorly wrapped in pleasant green paper.

Sighing, Barnaby walked past Kotetsu, leaving him puzzled, worried, and a little hurt. Before he could demand Barnaby to at least open his present or apologize for making him mad, he returned. Kotetsu's expression shifted into one of delighted surprise when Barnaby held out his hand, offering a small, cube-shaped box neatly wrapped in shimmering red paper.

Slowly the two exchanged gifts, standing with the other man's box in their hands a moment, inspecting them carefully without disturbing the paper. Then Kotetsu jerked his head, and they settled onto their respective blanket mounds, the presents glinting in their laps. Kotetsu flopped down into a cross-legged pose, Barnaby's arrangement of his legs much neater.

"You go first," Kotetsu demanded, excited and a little nervous to see Barnaby open his present. He'd gotten the idea while getting Kaede's present, and had been surprisingly stealthy getting the information he needed to order the correct one. Meticulously, Bunny slit the paper open at the folds, revealing a black garment box with a diagonal silver stripe. Looking up at Kotetsu from under his brows, Barnaby returned his gaze to the box and slowly lifted the lid.

Immediately, the soft scent of good leather drifted out. Slowly, Barnaby grasped the edges of his gift and lifted it out of the box. It was a leather jacket, cut slightly more square than his famous red one, but still extremely tailored. It was charcoal gray, accented with black and bearing red stripes down the sleeves. From where he sat, Kotetsu couldn't see the front, but knew that the lining was a crisp crimson, the same blood-red as the stripes on the sleeves.

What little of Bunny's face Kotetsu could see around the jacket was blank, his eyes mercilessly passing over the coat's attributes. Finally, Kotetsu started tapping his fingers against his own present, all but forgotten, now genuinely nervous about Bunny's reaction. Did he like it? Kotetsu still liked his red jacket, and knew that he had one or two others that he occasionally wore. But he'd seen that jacket at a fancy boutique in the mall, and had fallen in love with it for Bunny, sneaking into his locker during training to get his red one's measurements so it would fit his broad shoulders and lean waist. Finally, Kotetsu couldn't take the quiet anymore.

"So… do you like it?" Carefully, Barnaby settled the jacket back in the box, lifting his eyes up to Kotetsu. A small smile tipped the corner of his mouth.

"I love it, Kotetsu," he murmured quietly, his voice a little breathy. Now that he wasn't hidden by the shield of the jacket, Kotetsu recognized that look – it was a moved Bunny scrambling back to regain an appearance of control. Grinning broadly, he flapped his hands toward the box.

"Then try it on! I hope it fits." Deftly, Barnaby slid his arms into the sleeves, smoothing the collar and tugging at the zippers to make sure it fell correctly. Oh, boy. It fit him perfectly, and looked fantastic.

"Man, that is awesome. You look badass. Go check it out in a mirror," Kotetsu commanded, hardly able to contain his excitement. Barnaby lithely stood and padded into his bedroom. Kotetsu twisted and leaned back on his elbow, smiling smugly at the sight of Barnaby turning into a couple of his patented model poses to see the jacket from as many angles as he could manage. He came back with about as big a smile as he ever allowed himself, running his hand lovingly down the butter-smooth leather.

"This is amazing, Kotetsu. Thank you," he said quietly as he gracefully folded himself back down onto the pad, carefully taking the jacket off and setting it back in the box. Turning those gleaming eyes to Kotetsu, he gestured towards the box currently absorbing his excited energy.

"Your turn." With a grin, Kotetsu tore the paper off with a single crunch. The style of box should have given it away, but Kotetsu was cracking it open and catching sight of his gift before he had any idea what it was. The watch gleamed from a black velvet bed. The band was rich, thick brown leather, silver accents along the band glittering in the low light. Slowly removing it from the box, Kotetsu tilted it so he could examine the face.

"Is that…?"

"Tiger's eye for the face? Yes." Against the ripples of gold and amber, almost like the grain of wood, silver numbers glittered. As Kotetsu continued to examine it, rather taken with the exceptionally handsome watch, Barnaby hurried to explain.

"I commissioned Saito to make a few upgrades. It's wire-enabled like your old one. The band is also reinforced, so a lot less torque is applied to your wrist. You have bruises for weeks whenever you use your current one, so hopefully this will resolve that. I was starting to get a little worried about the band on your old watch, too – it's fraying a little, and I wanted to make sure you had something that lived up to its predecessor before it finally broke and got you killed. And-"

"Bunny," Kotetsu said firmly with a grin. Barnaby swallowed once before responding.

"Yes?"

"It's freakin' gorgeous. I love it." That seemed to satisfy Bunny, who smiled with obvious relief as Kotetsu removed his old watch and slid the new onto his wrist. The leather was soft, but solid, the golden stone face catching the lights.

"Thanks, Bunny. I'd say this was a damn fine Christmas." Apparently a little embarrassed by his own satisfaction, Bunny cleared his throat, gently setting the box containing his jacket on the table next to his chair.

"It was. Thank you again, Kotetsu. I'm going to go tidy up the kitchen." Too happy about the exchange to quite hear the desperation that had grated just under Barnaby's tone, Kotetsu did notice the frantic length of Bunny's stride. Frowning for a second, Kotetsu eventually struggled his way free of the blankets and followed Barnaby to the kitchen.

Dammit. Barnaby could hear Kotetsu getting up, padding after him in thick socks the color of concrete. He just wanted a moment to himself, a chance to tighten the seams holding him together after being loosened in the living room by a simple exchange of gifts. It was fairly ridiculous that he was so moved by a leather jacket, but it was obvious that Kotetsu had invested a great deal of thought in his present. And considering how well it fit, he'd found a way to measure one of his other jackets and taken the time to have it tailored. How he'd managed that particular bout of espionage without getting caught, Barnaby wasn't quite sure.

And the look he'd given the watch had nearly made Barnaby swallow his tongue. He wasn't sure why today was different, why this kind, simple intimacy on an important holiday was making Barnaby think of possibilities he rarely allowed himself to indulge in, wants that were so often ignored now flaming to hot, heady life. Yes, he couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough, running the water in the sink too hot and wincing as he plunged his hands in to hide their faint shaking as Kotetsu marched into the kitchen.

"I'll help," he cheerfully offered. Barnaby silently panicked before collecting himself enough to weed out the strangle from his voice.

"That's alright, Kotetsu. I'll be done soon." Instead of being deflected (Barnaby should have known better), Kotetsu sidled up next to him to the rinse side of the deep, divided stainless steel sink, already shoving up his sleeves.

"You cooked. Only fair if I helped," he determinedly pointed out. Desperate for at least some space to get himself together, Barnaby latched on the first thing his eyes landed on. Kotetsu's new watch.

"Why don't you dry? The watch is designed to be able to handle water, but there's no point getting the leather wet the first time you wear it." Apparently, Kotetsu agreed, and stepped over slightly, snatching up a navy blue towel, ready and waiting for the first cleaned bowl. At first, Barnaby moved mechanically, almost like the gears in his joints were millimeters from slipping. But as the warm scent of Kotetsu's cologne and skin was overtaken by ocean-breeze scented dish soap, Barnaby started to relax, daring to engage in Kotetsu's determined small talk as they neared the end of the chore.

Kotetsu wasn't quite sure what had gotten into Bunny – he'd gone stiff as a board after the gift exchange. Sometimes, he didn't have the faintest idea what was whirling around that blond head of his. He'd almost think something about it had upset Barnaby, but then Kotetsu remembered his expression when he'd finally assured Kotetsu that he did like his jacket. Well, if that was the worse it was going to be for Barnaby on one of the hardest days of the year for him, that wasn't so bad.

Folding the towel a little haphazardly and setting it on the counter, Kotetsu turned, crossing his arms as he stood hipshot, smiling over at Bunny in what he hoped was an expression that would encourage him to loosen up again. Barnaby stood on the other side of the sink, meticulously drying his long, pale fingers on another towel. He hadn't put on any jewelry today, Kotetsu noticed, not his black ring or gold necklace, his common public armor. Just as he opened his mouth to jokingly point that out, Kotetsu raised his eyes to Barnaby's. What flashed there made the words die in his throat before they even found the air.

He was used to that guarded expression, that thin layer of armor over the green of his eyes that hid his stronger emotions. Barnaby had learned long before they had met how much he should react and who he should be when in front of certain audiences. He was charming with the talk show hosts, strong and steadfast with the HeroTV cameras. He was obedient to his sponsors and their minions, arrogant with anyone he deemed unworthy. Even once comfortable with someone, Bunny showed a distinct discomfort with reacting to the full force of his feelings.

So Kotetsu knew that quiet regard, the glitter of watchfulness and the soft glow of caution. But when Barnaby glanced up from his hands over at Kotetsu, his eyes slid shut in an almost pained expression. When they opened, Kotetsu saw something he'd never seen before in Barnaby's eyes.

Something feral, dangerous, and hot enough to melt steel.

Before he could shift his face into anything besides bare-boned shock, Barnaby moved, wickedly fast. Bunny crowded him against the counter, his fingers digging into Kotetsu's hips as he yanked him back. The granite counter top dug into his lower spine, and almost made Kotetsu yelp. But he was stunned speechless by the molten heat in Barnaby's expression. Moving between Kotetsu's legs, which had slightly spread for balance when Bunny had first moved in near enough to force him back, Barnaby pressed close, and Kotetsu's eyes almost rolled back from the lightning crack of arousal that roared through his blood.

God almighty, it had been a long time, and never, ever like this.

Afraid his knees would go at any moment, Kotetsu's hands flailed, eventually latching onto the edge of the counter behind him, his knuckles going white as he caught the scent of his own soap on Barnaby's skin from where the pulse hammered under his sharp jawline. A sudden, wild urge to press his lips to that spot and nip tore through his brain, and Kotetsu fought it off as he closed his eyes, feeling vaguely as if that wouldn't be a good idea.

He opened his eyes again and tipped his head back to get a good look at Barnaby's face, to get some idea of what the hell was going on. He was so far from ready when Bunny's head dipped down. The kiss was hard, and as ungraceful as humanly possible. Lips rammed into one another, teeth clacking. The bright smack of pain on his mouth made Kotetsu jerk his head back more than anything else. Barnaby's glasses had been knocked slightly askew, breathing like he'd just sprinted a mile without Hundred Power.

"Ow," Kotetsu managed, still drowning under a wave of thwarted desire, unsure what he was going to do. Because damn if this wasn't a fine mess.

* * *

_Ha ha. You know me. I have to screw things up royally before I fix them. I thought this would be an interesting place to stop things. Initially, this and the next chapter were all going to be a single piece but, again, in usual me fashion, it was getting rather large and in charge. So we'll see how this all plays out in the next chapter. Tee hee._

_Three movies are mentioned in this chapter (I don't own them, blah blah blah). I'd love to see if you guys can guess what they are. Two are easy – one is a little more tricky._

_I thought that Barnaby was kind of suited as a health nut. I'll talk about it later, but it seemed like a natural and interesting aspect of his character._

_Hope you like it!_

_Love, Tango_


	3. Contact

Slowly, the blood that had evaporated from Barnaby's brain leeched back, and he stared with mounting horror at Kotetsu's clouded golden eyes and bruised lips. Blinking quickly, Barnaby suddenly realized with ruthless clarity that he'd smashed their hips together, doing nothing to encourage the return of his senses. Slowly, helplessly certain that something between them was irrevocably damaged, Barnaby eased back, unlocking his fingers from where they gripped Kotetsu's flesh, the joints almost cracking, they were so resistant.

Both of them were panting like there wasn't enough oxygen in the air. A burst of cowardice and desperation, bright and brutal as a strobe light, flashed through Barnaby's head and, gulping frantically, he turned on his heel and strode from the kitchen. It wasn't like there was anywhere he could go; he was in his own apartment, after all. But he had to get away from the confusion in Kotetsu's eyes, the smothering shock that had kept him from resisting Barnaby's painfully fumbled attempt at a kiss.

_Why, why, why?_ What had happened to him between the moments of determined distance as he'd washed the last dish and sudden, overwhelming craving once he'd dried his hands? All Barnaby knew was that a fire had leapt up from the carefully banked ashes and ate his brain in a single heated gulp when he caught sight of Kotetsu looking happy and healthy and warm and wonderful. _Jesus_.

There had to be something terribly wrong with him. To risk a partnership that he valued more than his own life on some stupid crush he'd been hefting around with little to no issue for years. What in the hell had happened to make that so impossible to withstand, to push to the back of his mind, where it was safe and almost nonexistent?

And what could possibly make that whole fiasco worse? That he'd actually _hurt_ Kotetsu with his mangled kiss. His face flamed even hotter at the thought, certain now that his cheeks were cherry red, his throat a column of crimson. This was fucking ridiculous. _He_ was ridiculous. Having some idea of taking a walk around the neighborhood until the humiliation faded – it should only take a century or so – Barnaby was halted from slinging on his usual red jacket by a hand on his elbow.

"Bunny," Kotetsu said softly, a surprising note of calm and steel in his voice. Barnaby squeezed his eyes closed, finding it impossible to actually turn and look his partner in the face after what he'd done. But the gentle, insistent pressure on his arm didn't fade, and Kotetsu eventually managed to tug him around so they were facing each other.

With a keen-edged misery, Barnaby arranged his expression into one he thought resembled blithe apology. He had no way of knowing that anguish shimmered plainly in his eyes.

"Sorry, Kotetsu. I was just, ah…" Just what? Flinging their friendship out the window like a battered Frisbee? Sitting back and doing nothing as the fraying cords of his control snapped and caught them both in the whiplash?

"I'm going out for a bit," he finally managed to grind out. Kotetsu's hold on him hardened enough to halt him again, sighing in what Barnaby assumed was disgust. He should have known better, considering all the times he'd frustrated Kotetsu to the point of yanking on his own hair.

"Cool your jets, would ya? And it would be great if you could stop beating yourself to death for one damn minute so we could talk about this." His voice may have been edgy with frustration, but his face was considering, his eyes weirdly soft.

"I don't see what needs to be discussed. It was my mistake. It won't happen again." Barnaby hated himself for the stiff, cold words scraping out of his throat, fully aware that his reluctance to discuss this was the behavior of a petulant child.

Apparently Kotetsu knew this, as well. His face screwed up in a look of aggravation edged with worry, and, once he snatched Barnaby's jacket out of his hands and tossed it in the general direction of the closet, Kotetsu started to physically drag him back to the kitchen. He thought briefly, wildly, about putting up a fight, about breaking free of Kotetsu's implacable hold, activating his Hundred Power, and getting the hell out of there. But someone – a teacher at Hero Academy, probably – had been adamant that Barnaby never activate his power unless he truly needed it. A few horror stories about NEXTs with time limited capabilities caught in fatal situations were enough to ensure Barnaby took the warnings to heart, not to mention Kotetsu's near-constant struggle with his diminishing time limit.

And he'd had quite enough of his cowardly inclinations today. This whole mess was his fault – the least he could do was try whatever possible to repair the damage. So he trailed after Kotetsu, head slightly bowed like a recalcitrant student being led to the headmaster's office. Or, so he imagined, since Barnaby had never once in his life been reprimanded for inappropriate behavior by any figure of authority. He didn't count standing in front of Lloyds while he and Kotetsu, mostly Kotetsu, were being lectured.

So they sat down in the same chairs they'd occupied during dinner in oppressive, awkward silence. Kotetsu was pretty sure he'd never seen Barnaby so miserable. His mouth still throbbing a little from that clumsy kiss and his skin still a little sensitive from that gush of arousal, Kotetsu tried to puzzle his way through what the hell had happened, and what it would mean. Because, whatever was said now, things were going to be different. Whether that change would be good or bad would depend on what they said next.

"Bunny. Why did you kiss me?" There it was, in bald terms. Kotetsu tried to keep the puzzlement out of his voice, tried to make it sound like a simple question with a simple answer. Except nothing about it was simple.

Barnaby, who had been blushing a pretty becoming shade of pink, went chalk-white at Kotetsu's question, his eyes widening behind his glasses before darting away. He pressed his lips together, and his color again rose. If he didn't get himself under control, he was going to pass out from all the blood rushing in and out of his head.

And yet, he didn't say anything. Didn't defend his actions or explain. Just sat there in wretched silence like he'd just killed Kotetsu's dog, not slapped their lips together in what could have been an incredibly sexy kiss, if it hadn't been misguided and inexperienced. Firmly telling himself that he wasn't going to think about the way his system had all but crackled with attraction at that uninhibited look in Bunny's eyes, Kotetsu tried to draw him out.

"I mean, I didn't even know you wanted to kiss me." Finally, Bunny met his gaze, somehow managing to look incredulous and dismal at the same time. Since he was actually engaging, Kotetsu continued. "It was barely a kiss, but still." Kotetsu said it in reference to how short the contact has actually lasted, just long enough for him to realize that this could be interesting, if given a little time.

It was only once Barnaby's brows started to climb and his gloom began to melt into anger that Kotetsu realized how Bunny had probably taken the comment. Not well. Scrambling to assure him that he wasn't saying anything about Barnaby's kissing skills (which could honestly use a little work), Kotetsu stuttered as he tried to pull his shoe out of his throat.

"N-no, I didn't… What I meant was… Look, Bunny," he tried with a huff when that sparkle of fury started to glitter in Bunny's eyes, "I wasn't trying to be a jerk. I'm just a little surprised."

"Clearly," Barnaby snapped, his voice like a viper strike – elegant and deadly. "Tell me, Kotetsu, which was more shocking – my abhorrent lack of kissing skills, or the repulsive fact that I actually kissed you?" Kotetsu could feel this conversation slipping into the realms of an argument, and that was the last thing he wanted, since he still really had no idea what the hell was going on here.

"The second one. Definitely the second one," Kotetsu quickly clarified. For some reason, rage slid across Bunny's expression, and he shoved his chair back with a magnificent shriek of wood on wood.

"Wait, I- You're not repulsive, Bunny-" But his partner was well and truly steaming now. He began to pace the kitchen, gesturing extravagantly as he spoke. Now that the dam had been broken, all sorts of inconvenient thoughts floated through Kotetsu's head as he tried to think of some way to salvage their friendship. Such as Bunny was freaking hot when he was in a fit of temper.

"This may stun you to hear, Kotetsu, but I've been thinking about doing that for an idiotically long time. And just because you're too much of a moron to figure it out doesn't reflect on me." Almost used to being called a moron by his partner at this point, Kotetsu instead carefully watched Bunny try to stride out his anger, using his hands for dramatic emphasis. "I'll be sure to keep my repulsive self away from you from here on out. Although this is as much your fault as it is mine." That sent a burst of annoyance through Kotetsu, who didn't see much point in denying, well, _everything_ Barnaby had just accused him of until he'd run himself down. But…

"How is this _my_ fault?" Kotetsu argued indignantly. As soon as he said it, he wished he could have at least fixed the tone. Because the way he said it had Bunny wheeling around, the green of his eyes like heated glass as his mouth curled into a snarl.

"Because, you stupid old man! What was that nonsense with the mistletoe? And then suddenly informing me, after _four years_ of working together, that you're bisexual?" His temper was already fading, which was telling enough, not to mention the pain leaking through his voice.

"I never wanted things to change, because I didn't want to risk our partnership. But then…" For a moment, he looked so lost and confused, Kotetsu wanted to call it quits on this discussion right then and there. They didn't need to talk about this, not if it was just going to tear Bunny up. But he was already revving up his temper, the anger cresting earlier and earlier with each wave. It couldn't last for much longer.

"Regardless, I made a mistake. One I can assure you I will never make again. I wouldn't want to embarrass you." He said the last with a sneer which, even when he threw his whole body into it, came off a little half-hearted. Jamming his fingers into his hair, Bunny dragged them through the fluffy curls, eventually lacing them at the back of his neck and letting his arms drop forward as he tipped his eyes up. He looked like a man backed into a corner, trying to decide how much of himself he was willing to sacrifice.

Even after years of working together, it still took Kotetsu a moment to filter through the layers of emotions that crowded Bunny's words. Yeah, he was pissed, but that wasn't anything Kotetsu hadn't seen before. And he was thoroughly freaked out by this, his usual reaction to a slip in his masterful control of himself. And he was so sad, so mad at himself, that it damn near cut Kotetsu's heart out of his chest. Now mad at and for his friend, Kotetsu shoved back from the table, marching over to where Barnaby stood like pale gold marble, his eyes dropping down to reveal a face arranged into his patented fierce scowl. Absently, Kotetsu remembered how that expression used to cow him. Now, it almost acted like a red flag before a bull.

"Shut up," Kotetsu commanded. Barnaby made furious eye contact as his fingers released and he folded his arms into a much more aggressive stance, his jaw jutting up as his opened his mouth to retaliate. Kotetsu beat him to it.

"I said shut up. You didn't embarrass me."

"What?" Barnaby croaked, his shield cracked by the numbness of shock, his eyes going wide. Kotetsu's fingertips itched, and he figured he was making a goddamn point, so he slowly wrapped his fingers around Barnaby's tensed, sizable bicep.

"You didn't. You surprised the hell out of me, but the last thing I was feeling was embarrassment." Kotetsu swallowed – moment of truth. "I liked it."

Now they could be freaked out together. Because until the words had left his mouth, Kotetsu hadn't been certain they were true. But they were. Maybe he'd believed that his sexual drive had died with Tomoe, because he'd never thought of Barnaby – or anyone, for that matter – that way. They were partners, friends, the best of them. But looking at his behavior, especially recently, in a different context, Kotetsu realized that it wasn't as innocently platonic as he'd assumed. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when his feelings about Bunny had started to shift, but there was no denying them now. He was attracted to his partner, and damn if that didn't throw a colossal wrench in the works.

"Now would you please sit down?" Kotetsu muttered with impatience. Bunny was still staring at him like he'd started speaking in tongues, his eyes huge and laced with more emotions than colors, the faint flashes of silver and gold in his eyes fading under the dilation of his pupils. Sick of dragging Barnaby where he obviously didn't want to go, he just sat at the table and waited for Bunny to join him, like waiting out a stubborn stray dog. Even once he'd released Barnaby's arm, Kotetsu could still feel the faint pulse of his heartbeat on the pads of his fingers. Rubbing them together to dissipate the sensation, he didn't say anything when Bunny finally unfolded his arms and jerkily made his way back to his seat. Neither of them spoke for a while. Finally, Barnaby broke the quiet.

"You liked it." Kotetsu felt a frown steal over his face at Bunny's tentative, quiet words.

"Is that a statement or a question?"

"Both." This was a little more firm, closer to the air of confident pride Kotetsu was used to from Bunny.

"Yes," Kotetsu said simply, deciding that Barnaby, still looking a little like he'd just seen a nuke go off, didn't need to hear that Kotetsu thought the little episode had been insanely sexy, adorably awkward, and fiercely arousing. So he kept those little opinions to himself. He did, however, have other pressing concerns.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Barnaby frowned deeply, the pained expression aging him ten years. He folded his hands neatly together, his right thumb tracing pointless patterns on his left palm. It was a nervous tic often hidden by camera angle or by posing him with his folded hands angled deeper when the interviewer knew they were going to touch on tough topics. Now, though, Kotetsu had no problem noticing the faint movements from where Bunny's hands rested on the table.

"I don't know," he said quietly, already taking the blame for this on his shoulders – Kotetsu could almost literally see if happening.

"You were right." He may have been throwing a temper tantrum, but Bunny, ever the pragmatist, had brought up some good points during his tirade. "This will change things."

"Maybe it doesn't need to." God, why wasn't that surprising? Barnaby, sacrificing what he so clearly wanted to salvage what he desperately needed.

"It already has," Kotetsu said gently. Their eyes met, the gaze exchanged cementing the truth of it. "So the question remains – what do we do now? Because now that we've opened this door," _more like blown it off its hinges with C9_, Kotetsu thought with a dark chuckle, "we sure as hell aren't going to be able to close it again." And it would kill them, Kotetsu realized. This all might blow up in their faces, but if he and Bunny tried to dodge this thing already blooming between them, it would destroy what they had. So there it was. Possible destruction, or inevitable annihilation. Tough odds.

He'd won over worst.

"I don't know about you," Kotetsu said quietly, his mind made up in its usual do-or-die fashion, "but I'm willing to give this a go." Barnaby goggled at him, and Kotetsu felt almost smug. It never got old, shocking the guy into wide-eyed silence.

"What if it doesn't work? What if I screw it up? I have no idea what I'm doing, and this is _important_, Kotetsu!"

"I know it's important, Bunny. It's OK if you don't know how, because I do, and at least half the fun is going to be teaching you." Because Kotetsu could just imagine how deliriously sexy it could be to guide Barnaby to those moments of surrender and unspeakable pleasure. His pulse throbbed at the mere thought. "It would be a relationship, which means screw ups are inevitable, from both sides. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But I'll do everything within my power to see that our friendship survives it." A nearly impossible task, but Wild Tiger was all about near impossible.

"You… you want a relationship?" Barnaby's voice sounded almost delicate in its quiet astonishment. Giving in to a wish that he'd been harboring from himself for who knew how long, Kotetsu laid his hand over Bunny's. It took a moment before Barnaby released his self-contained tension, before they figured out how their fingers could grip together. Once linked though, Kotetsu was struck by how they fit. What the hell had he been waiting for?

"One night stands are fine for young people, but I'm not built that way anymore." Not since Tomoe. There was no way he could limit himself to a one night stand, and Bunny deserved much more than a friends with benefits situation. He mattered entirely too much for anything less than Kotetsu's absolute best.

"Unless you don't want a relationship," Kotetsu quickly added, realizing that while Barnaby may be physically attracted to him, maybe he had no intention of entering into a relationship with a silly old man. When Bunny shook his head, Kotetsu's stomach sank. He'd do what he could to make Barnaby happy, but it didn't bode well for a situation that already had enough stacked against it.

"No." Oh, crap. "I do. I just thought, with the risk involved…" Kotetsu tried not to spook him with the bright, wide smile of a happy moron.

"You know me, Bunny. All-or-nothing." At Barnaby's slow nod, Kotetsu fully grasped the enormity of what had happened between them. Holy shit. This was one of those before-and-after moments. He'd had some big ones: meeting Mr. Legend, marrying Tomoe, his hero debut, Kaede's birth, Tomoe's death. Meeting Bunny. No going back now, Kotetsu cheerfully reminded himself and, with his usual mix of trusting foolishness and blind faith, he committed himself to this with everything he had.

Barnaby struggled to engage his entire brain with what was unfolding at his kitchen table. It just didn't seem real; he'd wondered, and maybe allowed himself a fantasy or two, but the gut-clenching reality of it was staring him in the face with amber eyes. And the most shocking aspect of all? Kotetsu had actually acquiesced to the one thing that Barnaby had always thought unattainable, a need that threatened to topple everything they'd built, but had persisted through even the most vicious of self-rebukes.

He was still wrapping his mind around it all when Kotetsu stood, pulling him gently to his feet by their linked hands. Kotetsu's palm was warm, slightly rough with calluses. His smile was slow and a little sly, turning Barnaby's stomach and knees to jelly. He followed Kotetsu like a lamb, blinking uncomprehendingly when he turned off the lights in the living room except for the one that lit the hibiscus print.

Outside the windows, the city was silenced by snowfall, the lights like home fires calling family and travelers home. Inside the apartment, Barnaby's heart beat against the inside of his ribcage like a sledgehammer, as if desperate to free itself from the confines of bone and muscle. Blood thudded against his skin until his pulse points felt bruised, and he couldn't decide if he was lightheaded because he'd all but forgotten to breathe or if because _something_ was happening between him and Kotetsu. He couldn't quite figure out what, but instinct told Barnaby it was worth the long wait.

At first Barnaby wondered if Kotetsu was leading him to the chair, but he by-passed it without a glance, heading instead for his movie nest. Kotetsu folded himself down onto the blankets like his namesake, Barnaby following with the nervous jerks of a robot, his mind still whirling like a rusty fan.

Sitting there stiffly, his thoughts jamming and overlapping like bad code, Barnaby's bones seemed to quiver at Kotetsu's low, slightly rough chuckle. His breath against Barnaby's ear sent a delicious shiver down his spine as he shifted closer, his arm sneaking around Barnaby's waist as he guided him back against the pillows.

"Relax, Bunny," Kotetsu nearly growled from where he ranged himself next to him, again the soft puff of air against his ear coursing along Barnaby's nerves. During the shift in position, his eyes had drifted shut, his right hand finding its way to the arm still wrapped around his waist like heated stone. The other was fisted in the blankets between them, his knuckles bone-white. His eyes flicked open when Kotetsu removed his glasses, propped up on his elbow and close enough for Barnaby to still see him clearly. Very close.

Slowly, his eyes gilded by the artful lighting, his cheekbones carved by it, Kotetsu lowered his head, their eyes locked, testing Barnaby's consent with every millimeter. When their lips finally brushed, lighter than butterfly feet, panic rammed into Barnaby like a train.

Should his eyes be open? Closed? Should he tilt his head? Should he move his hands? What about his mouth? Was he supposed to do _anything_? How long was this supposed to last? He all but begged for the inferno of need that had washed through him in the kitchen earlier, blanking out his inhibitions and giving him the courage to act on instinct and leave caution by the wayside. But the kindling of heat in Barnaby's blood was doused under his frantic, circling thoughts. Watching Kotetsu through narrowed lashes, Barnaby had worked himself into a state of anxious rigidity by the time he drew back.

"Bunny. I said 'relax,'" Kotetsu said wryly. Before Barnaby could offer some apology or excuse, already berating himself, Kotetsu pressed their lips together again. Helplessly wondering how this was going to get better at some point, if he was somehow defective, Barnaby's thoughts suddenly scattered when Kotetsu's hand slid to the back of his neck, a rippling pressure that echoed through his entire musculature. Simultaneously, the fingers on his back spread, a tiny, minute movement that dispersed the tension building at the curve of his spine.

Just as his muscles had tightened one by one before, they now unlocked in succession. Suddenly, the steady, even press on his mouth became pleasant, and a soft glow cautiously returned to Barnaby's system. When Kotetsu moved away this time, Barnaby was completely relaxed, all but melted into the blankets and pillows.

"Gorgeous," Kotetsu murmured, his lips brushing over his temple then tracing the shell of his ear. Barnaby would never have guessed that his ears were so sensitive, but every time Kotetsu touched them, sparklers went off deep in his muscles. "This time, I want you to kiss me back." Lazily tilting his head slightly towards Kotetsu, Barnaby met his next kiss, warming to the idea of participation.

Kotetsu cupped the back of his neck more firmly, his thumb stroking over the base of Barnaby's skull. He tilted his head, the subtle slant making Barnaby's breath stutter. The hand on Kotetsu's arm tightened, Barnaby glorying in the heat and muscle under his touch. The one clutching the blankets loosened its hold, but still stayed where it was, tentative and cautious.

Then, the hand at the base of his spine began to move. Shifting slowly, almost carefully, Kotetsu drifted his palm down Barnaby's ribs, over his hip, down his thigh until it curled around the back of his knee. His touch left Barnaby's skin burning in its wake, leaving him nearly panting as the singe of arousal brushed against his nerves.

Kotetsu's fingers caressed the sensitive skin behind the joint before tugging gently, lifting his knee up slightly in chorus with pulling Barnaby down so he lay fully supine. Barnaby gasped, both from the wicked sensation that had the muscles in his legs trembling and the unexpected change in position. This was apparently what Kotetsu had been waiting for. As soon as his lips parted on the surprised inhalation, Kotetsu pressed his advantage, his tongue running along Barnaby's parted lips before deepening the kiss gradually.

At first, he was shocked into stillness. But the decadence of the kiss quickly overwhelmed his surprise, and he timidly opened himself to Kotetsu. He tasted of tart apples and warm spices, and what he was doing with his tongue was short-circuiting the last of Barnaby's resistance. With growing, hesitant enthusiasm, Barnaby tried to match Kotetsu's movements, mirroring the actions that made his lungs jerk and his muscles alight. Hot splashes of arousal started to paint his brain, and Barnaby blindly lifted his hand to Kotetsu from the blankets, desperate to touch the heat and strength that was soaking into him and melting the icy façade of the man, leaving something akin to an animal in its wake.

Barnaby's hand trailed up Kotetsu's sculpted back, over the sharp edge of his shoulder blade until his fingers hooked over his trapezius. Ceding to an unfamiliar wave of greed, Barnaby slid his other hand up over Kotetsu's shoulder, burying his fingers in his thick, dark hair. Kotetsu seemed to take the intensifying of Barnaby's embrace as an invitation. He toyed again with Barnaby's knee, running his fingers along sensitized tendons and tracing them over the curve of muscle. It dragged a whimper from Barnaby's throat, a sound of surrender he hadn't even known he could make.

As his palm came to rest on the jutting edge of Barnaby's pelvis, Kotetsu broke the kiss, pressing his lips to the pulse pounding under Barnaby's jaw, his head tipped back in encouragement. The light scrape of teeth against delicate skin made Barnaby's breathing stumble, his eyes weakly flickering open as Kotetsu gasped for breath against the damp skin of his neck. He was hard as steel, Barnaby dimly realized, and could gladly die here, cradled in Kotetsu's arms, in his scent of sandalwood and sweat and skin.

"Christ," Kotetsu managed faintly, sounding like he was coming up for air after going under for the third time. Limply, he raised his head, his feline eyes burning like torches and intense enough to send fine shivers through Barnaby's muscles, which felt gilded and burning hot. "You're fucking beautiful, Bunny," he rasped. For a moment, they just stared at each other, breath mingling, their holds on each other still relentless.

When they collided, it was a measured surge of muscle against muscle, Kotetsu deepening the kiss like he had no intention of ever ending it. The rasp of Kotetsu's beard against his jaw made Barnaby's fingers convulse, pushing him to unbolt every lock, assailed by the sensation that he would always have more to give, that maybe Kotetsu could be the one to finally ask. And give him the courage to ask in return.

The ravenous, damp press of mouths sent a restlessness coursing through Barnaby's system. He wriggled under Kotetsu's hand at first, reveling in the glancing touches wherever he could get them. So focused on the hungry tangle of tongues, it took Kotetsu a moment to register Barnaby's small attempts to touch more. Still maintaining the kiss that was mercilessly eradicating every thought in Barnaby's head, Kotetsu curled his left leg around Barnaby's right, giving him something to move against that wasn't too compromising or inflammatory.

Rationally, Barnaby knew that was a good idea. However, as claws of need, sharper and sweeter than anything he'd ever felt, raked across the inside of his skin, the inside of his skull, Barnaby wanted more. Starved for human touch in a way he never acknowledged to himself, Barnaby writhed, a slow, sensuous arch of muscle and bone that made Kotetsu groan, a low, tortured sound that thrilled and aroused Barnaby to the core. In response to his advance, Kotetsu's hand stroked across Barnaby's waist and hip. If he was trying to mitigate or sooth, Barnaby had no idea. He didn't really care. As long as he didn't stop touching him, then it didn't matter.

For a little longer, Kotetsu tried to hold himself back, tried to keep that safe cushion of air between them. Determined to feel Kotetsu fall apart, needing to know that he could give him that, Barnaby refused to stay still. Arching and quivering, he nearly cried out when Kotetsu abruptly threw caution to the wind, clamping his arm around Barnaby's waist and yanking him closer. Chest pressed to chest, Barnaby could actually feel Kotetsu's heart pounding, the echo of it passing through muscle and bone to find its twin.

The moan that Barnaby loosed didn't feel like it just came from his throat – it felt like it was seeping out through his skin, a victory for an equality he'd already begun to fear had eroded under the comparison of Kotetsu's experience to his inexperience. Stroking his fingers luxuriantly down Kotetsu's spine, driven mad by the skilled assault on his mouth and the muscles shifting and curling under his hand, Barnaby ground their hips together, elated and a little frightened to feel Kotetsu hard against his groin.

The last thing he expected was to lose that devastating mouth. Kotetsu pressed his forehead to Barnaby's shoulder, the tendons along his back straining tight as if he was battling something. Barnaby shifted, unsure and impatient. He wanted to kiss more, he wanted…

His thoughts, forging ahead on a heat-blazed trail, suddenly stuttered to a halt. Wanted what? He knew the basic mechanics of what his instincts screamed at him to achieve, but Barnaby wasn't certain if they were terribly trustworthy at the moment. Kotetsu finally raised his head, that dangerous mouth crooked and his eyes, dark and gold, apologetic.

"Sorry, Bunny," he murmured. Muscles buzzing with arousal suddenly went hard as stone. Please, God, the last possible thing he wanted was for Kotetsu to apologize. Barnaby nearly gave in to the impulse to yank himself out of Kotetsu's arms when he continued.

"We keep this up, I'm not going to be able to stop when I should. A little much for our first night, yeah?" Relief and a small fragment of disappointment bled the tension from him. Barnaby managed a nod, reluctant to unlock his grip on Kotetsu. Now that he had him, he didn't want him slipping away. Kotetsu trailed soft kisses across his cheekbone and brow, disengaging them by degrees, until he could pull away without any resistance.

He walked over to the closet, worming his feet into his shoes as he pulled on his jacket. Barnaby missed the way he almost toppled over, busy pushing himself up to at least a sitting position, feeling vulnerable splayed out on his back. He stayed where he was, despite the way he was already missing Kotetsu's warm heat. Not even sure he wanted to imagine how he looked, he slid on his glasses, little good they were as a shield, before passing hopeless fingers through his mussed hair. Honestly, he wasn't sure his legs would support him, and it wasn't as if Kotetsu could stay. They had work tomorrow, and had to function with some semblance of normality. Besides, there was no way they could spend the night together chastely, a decision Barnaby was infinitely grateful for. Especially since he wasn't sure he could have been trusted to make it.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Bunny," Kotetsu said brightly from the safe distance across the room. Barnaby nodded, making certain to meet Kotetsu's eyes despite the bizarre embarrassment filtering through him, feeling that it was important for Kotetsu to know that he was fine. When Kotetsu's hand closed on the knob, Barnaby was speaking before he was quite sure what he was saying.

"Thank you, Kotetsu." He paused, looking over his shoulder with questioning eyes. "It mattered to me a great deal, and you were… well, amazing. I'm glad you were my first kiss." He said the last solemnly, despite how juvenile it sounded to his ears. Kotetsu just continued to stare at him, his eyes unreadable and a little bright.

Suddenly, he pivoted, striding back to where Barnaby sat and crashing to his knees amongst the blankets. Catching Barnaby's face between his palms, Kotetsu kissed him with ferocious intensity, pouring heat and gratitude and appreciation into the push of lips. Caught by surprise, nearly bowled over by the blaze of contact, Barnaby clutched at the lapel of Kotetsu's jacket. His system, slowly recovering, suddenly scrambled, dizzying in its resurgence. When he pulled back, he could feel Kotetsu's hands shaking faintly as he rested his brow against Barnaby's, the pressure of his fingers against his skull the only thing keeping Barnaby upright.

"God, so am I, Bunny. Now if I don't leave right now, I won't be able to at all, because you're one of the most stunning things I've ever seen." With one last kiss, soft and gentle and quick, Kotetsu stood and nearly ran out, shutting the door softly behind him.

Barnaby still sat in the mess of blankets and pillows, scented ever so faintly of Kotetsu. Drawing a knee up, the one Kotetsu had lavished with attention, Barnaby slowly traced his index finger around the outline of his kneecap, the smile gradually shifting over his face a little overwhelmed and thoroughly happy, one he'd never before had cause to feel.

* * *

Outside in the hallway, Kotetsu pressed his back to the wall, sliding down until he was crouched, cradling his head in his hands as he tried to get his breath back.

He'd never really understood why women would shriek like banshees when they realized Barnaby was near. Or maybe he'd never tried to, because he got it now. But it wasn't because Bunny was handsome and clever and so very cool, or maybe not only. It was because he was charmingly untried and spectacularly passionate. It had nearly fried his brain, having Barnaby come alive under his lips and hands. And Kotetsu had promised himself that he would take care of Bunny, see to it that whatever this would be, it would be good for him.

Scrubbing his fingers through his hair, Kotetsu then dragged his hands down his face. He hadn't been expecting it, that was for damn sure. The first part of it had been pretty usual – Barnaby had been unsure, stiff as a board, and unwilling to surrender even the smallest part of himself. Kotetsu had warned himself that if he could at least coax even a little pleasure out of Bunny, then the evening would be a success.

But he hadn't imagined Barnaby would give in as thoroughly as he did, and send it back ten times hotter. He'd been helpless against that innocent onslaught, that fervent response making him thirst for skin and sweat and sex. It was when Bunny let go, Kotetsu remembered, like he did in the kitchen, that was so devastating, his determination and precision lending itself to what was happening in surprisingly sexy ways. He would be an amazingly thorough, intense lover, Kotetsu was pretty damn sure. And that was thrilling, if a little scary.

And when Barnaby had last spoken… The look of him, cheeks flushed, lips wet and plump in a way that betrayed being scrupulously kissed, hair rumpled like he'd just rolled out of bed after being utterly ravished… Thinking about it now, Kotetsu was surprised he'd managed to leave the apartment at all. Not when he'd wanted more than his next breath to have Bunny again and again until he knew everything there was to know about Barnaby Brooks, Jr. Like how touching his ears made him shiver, or how stroking the back of his knee could make him whimper. Kotetsu hungered for every other detail like them, small secrets only a lover would know.

This was getting deeper way faster than he would have expected, even knowing the strength of their existing bond. If they could survive this first, insane plunge, then it could be the making of both of them. Well, Kotetsu decided as he braced against his knees to stand, he'd always been accused of being an optimist. So he'd hold out hopes for this crazy thing him and Bunny had going until it burned down around them.

Maybe not even then. Because he would be damned if he let that blond loser go now. Hunching his shoulders and shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, Kotetsu smiled as he walked to the parking garage, the glow of Christmas lights late in the evening glinting off the driven, eager gleam in his eyes.

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to anyone who ever had an awkward first kiss. I hope you had someone who got you through it and made it awesome, like that lucky bastard Barnaby. I, alas, was not so lucky. _

_It's actually surprisingly hard to decide what type of lovers these two will be. There are some obvious choices, but I'm trying to make it as organic a relationship as possible. _

_This was one of the most fun chapters I've ever written in my entire life, and my first polished love scene. I re-read some of my favorite novels for inspiration, and am actually pretty satisfied with the results._

_As always, reviews are very appreciated._

_Hope you like it!_

_Love, Tango_


	4. Crackle

The next morning, Barnaby was up early enough to see the sun break over Sternbild's tiers, splashing the banks of glass with pearly yellow light. Not all that surprising, since he'd hardly slept the night before and woke up wired at three thirty am. He labored in front of his closet for an hour, agonizing over wardrobe choices and the fact that he was agonizing over it at all. Finally, dressing simply in a white dress shirt and tailored navy jacket, arty jeans he was currently promoting accented by his favored white belt and boots designed to look rugged although they hardly knew the feeling of dirt, Barnaby set off to work. He took the long way, the streets drowsy and traffic mockingly light.

It was like they'd derisively made way for him, like they all knew he was insane, dragging himself to work three hours early over a man. Perhaps he had completely lost his mind, but it was _his_ man, he reminded himself with pride. For now.

Barnaby had assumed that he'd have the office to himself – it wasn't yet six o'clock. Not even Lloyds came in that early. But as he strode into the office, he was startled by the ubiquitous presence of Ms. Carter, their account manager. She sat at her desk like she did every other day, busily writing or typing or murmuring on the phone. Barnaby didn't know exactly what she did, but he knew she churned out work at a rate that put even him to shame.

She glanced up at the sound of his steps, her brows quirking slightly. It was the only break in her otherwise stoic expression. Reminding himself that the only way anyone would know about the fragile new aspect of his and Kotetsu's relationship was if they allowed it to be known, Barnaby strode for the coffeemaker once he'd deposited his new steel gray jacket on the back of his chair.

"You're in a little early, Mr. Brooks," Ms. Carter observed, her voice throaty and a little suspicious. He couldn't quite decide if she was being polite or teasing him with her massive understatement. Measuring out coffee and water precisely, only realizing once it started to perk that if he actually drank any he might have an aneurysm from the jolt to his already skittering system, Barnaby eventually turned back towards Ms. Carter, wandering towards his desk.

"I didn't sleep very well, so I decided to come in a little early, catch up on my back log." Both of their eyes slid over to his desk, which was, as usual, pristine. He had a single sheet in his to-do box – it was a survey being passed around Apollon that most employees had simply tossed in the trash. Just as smoothly, Ms. Carter's eyes slid over to Kotetsu's desk, Barnaby's helplessly following.

Although his to-do stack wasn't quite as monstrous as it had been before Christmas Eve – maybe Barnaby simply hadn't noticed Kotetsu's progress through his own misery that day – it was by no stretch of the imagination even slightly organized. Their gazes met again, and he worked to keep his expression bland and a little haughty – his typical defense. With a considering purse to her lips, Ms. Carter leaned back slightly in her chair, tucking one of her ebony braids over her ear.

"Seems to me that if anyone needed to catch up on their back log, it isn't you, Mr. Brooks. Mr. Kaburagi planning on coming in today?"

"I'm sure he'll be in at his usual time, Ms. Carter," he returned smoothly, his breath only hitching slightly at the mention of Kotetsu's name. Even after four years of working exclusively with Tiger and Barnaby, Ms. Carter still insisted on addressing the men formally. She must know their first names, since it was splashed all over their paperwork, but she stubbornly refused to use them. Barnaby didn't mind in the least, but it made Kotetsu pout on a fairly regular basis. For that matter, Barnaby wasn't even sure he knew what Ms. Carter's first name was. He'd never heard it used in all the time he'd worked with her. Feeling bizarrely nervous, Barnaby lightly fluffed his hair, his fingertips passing over the stretch of skin where Kotetsu's fingers had pressed last night.

From zero to two hundred, Barnaby thought to himself dimly. That single, focused acknowledgement sent yearning splashing through his system. Collecting himself with determined effort, Barnaby strode for his desk, fully aware that his cheeks were hot and he must appear at least somewhat psychotic.

"You sure you're alright, Mr. Brooks? You seem a little… out of sorts," Ms. Carter murmured as he took his seat and yanked open the filing drawer he'd been toying with rearranging for the last week or so. Taking a long, smooth breath, commanding himself to get a goddamn grip, Barnaby looked back up and smiled slightly.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, I suppose." She hummed in what he suspected was a note of disbelief, but went back to whatever work kept her here at all hours. Barnaby tackled his drawer like it had done him some sort of offense, focused on keeping his mind busy with sorting his chronologically ordered files into subcategories ordered by alphabet. There was absolutely no need to think about… anything else. He'd restrained himself all these years because he'd been afraid of what that step could change. Now that they'd decided to take it, he wouldn't completely disrupt their lives because he couldn't keep his feelings to himself. If there was one thing Barnaby was quite skilled at, it was keeping his emotions strapped down under layers of icy indifference.

He focused on busy work even after Lloyds bustled through the office, smiling and offering a few platitudes to get him to move on. Barnaby braced for the moment when Kotetsu would walk into the office, helpless to do anything but wonder how different it would be. He'd driven himself into a near-panic, but when Kotetsu walked in, Barnaby managed to control himself enough to slowly raise his gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Something akin to fireworks lit up his system, but Barnaby kept his gaze steady on Kotetsu, who somehow looked better than usual in his uniform of black slacks and dress shirt rolled up at the elbows paired with a vest. Today's colors were mint green and charcoal gray pinstripe, accenting his favored saddle shoes. Now that he knew how amazing it felt, Barnaby really, _really_ wanted to kiss him. Instead, he gripped the edge of his desk slowly, and kept his face smooth.

"You're late, Kotetsu," he said in a more clipped, sharp tone than usual. Kotetsu's brow just lifted as he pulled off his hat, and the corner of his mouth – _don't think about how his lips taste_ – tilted up. Barnaby tried to ignore how ridiculously pleased he was to see Kotetsu wearing his new watch.

"Sorry. Up late last night," he offered by way of excuse with a tiny smirk before taking a seat at his desk and sighing hugely at the paperwork still waiting to be completed. Barnaby quickly dragged his eyes back to his own project, determined not to let them rest too long on Kotetsu's broad shoulders accented by his vest, quickly recovering from his shock at his partner's cheek.

"Seems to be going around," Ms. Carter murmured under her breath, and Barnaby had to work to swallow the snort. That woman was sharp as a scalpel – they'd have to be careful around her. Deciding that his filing project was the safest thing in the room, Barnaby worked to give it as much attention as he could, the fringes drifting defiantly towards Kotetsu.

Meanwhile, Kotetsu was glaring at his paperwork. If it had been a royal pain in the rear before, it was ten times more so now with a sexy Barnaby across the aisle, his tailored clothes accentuating a gorgeous body Kotetsu could almost still feel, those flaxen curls just begging to be tousled. Crinkling one of his reports a little when his fingers tightened on the paper like they wanted to in Barnaby's hair, Kotetsu dragged in a deep, quiet breath, keeping one eye on Florence, who seemed to know something without being told, and the other on Barnaby, who was hefting his ice shield with impressive success.

It had always pissed him off, frustrating Kotetsu to no end that his partner could be so unreachable, even after he figured out that it was a mask, not indicative of his actual personality. Now, it was tantalizing to know that a blast of heat could melt that to the ground. He was already missing that burn in Barnaby's usually cool green eyes – they could smolder like stars. And not from anger. Wasn't that just the craziest shit ever?

After about an hour of pointlessly poking at damage audits while Barnaby nearly worked the label maker into a lather, Kotetsu decided he needed to stretch his legs. He was pretty sure the pair of them could eventually figure out an office rhythm that wouldn't compromise anything – it was obvious that they'd tacitly agreed to keep their more personal relationship private. Until they knew where this was going, there was no reason to rock everything their world was built on.

But that easy deceit was not going to happen today. Not when Kotetsu was glancing over every couple of minutes and letting his brain fuzz over at the thought of Barnaby's shoulders rippling under his hands or what that delicate hollow in his collarbone, subtly displayed by the top two buttons on his shirt left undone, would taste like.

So, after muttering something about food, he pushed back from his desk, jammed his hat on his head, shoved his hands in his pockets, and all but stalked out of the office. Who would have guessed, Kotetsu thought to himself with thick incredulity, that after all the crap they'd slung at each other, all the ways they'd tried to push each other off the edge, that Bunny would drive him insane from sheer sexiness. Irony was a bitch, he decided.

Kotetsu stared blankly at the snack machine, his brain still back in the office twirling around Barnaby's long, clever fingers instead of the assortment of candies and chips. He was so absorbed in what he wasn't looking at, in fact, that he didn't hear it when someone walked right up next to him.

"You usually get the jelly beans." Kotetsu was pretty sure he was in trouble when Bunny's smooth voice didn't make him jump in surprise. It almost made him purr. Clearing his throat, Kotetsu glanced over at his partner, who stood at his shoulder with a pleasant, mostly blank expression on his face. Lifting his brow, he just rocked back on his heels before looking at the snacks again.

"Sometimes I go for Crackles." Barnaby's face didn't even flicker – he just hooked his fingers on his belt loops smoothly.

"Not usually in the mornings." True. Most of the time, he only went for chocolate when he was tired or stressed after a long day of being an attraction in the media's circus. But damn if he couldn't use a little extra bit of sweets to smooth his nerves now.

"Maybe it's just one of those days," Kotetsu persisted, reaching for the change that usually jingled in his pocket. Only to discover that his pockets were empty – he'd been sure to grab a nice pair of pants today, and had been too worried about his slate gray tie to remember to swipe the change on his dresser into his pocket. Bunny must have noticed his aborted motion, but instead of saying anything, he just smoothly inserted the appropriate change into the machine and keyed in the code for Crackles.

Silence reigned as the metal spiral sent the candy plunking into the dispenser. Bending over, Kotetsu retrieved the small green bag, tossing it in his hand as he looked over at Barnaby. With his good deed done, Bunny nudged up the tail of his jacket to tuck his hands into his back pockets, probably blissfully unaware of how that brought his chiseled chest and abdomen into relief through the thin, expensive fabric of his shirt.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to pay you back," Kotetsu managed around the way his mouth watered. Barnaby just jerked his shoulder in a motion that was both relaxed and elegant.

"Whenever you can. It's not a problem," he murmured, his eyes extremely intense behind the buffer of his glasses. Kotetsu could almost feel his brain unraveling under the silky, sneaky claws of lust. Speaking of payback…

"How about right now?" Kotetsu murmured too low for anyone except Bunny to hear, even though the hallway was deserted. Stuffing the candy in his vest pocket and latching his hand on Barnaby's wrist, he strode across the hall to a conference room. Nearly booting the door open, Kotetsu spared one glance as the pair of them dove in to make sure the place was empty. Silent as a tomb, he whipped around and once the door banged shut, slammed the dead bolt home. Pivoting, his and Barnaby's eyes met for a single moment, the flare in those green eyes instant and elemental, before they crashed together.

Hungry mouth met hungry mouth. Teeth nipped, tongues stroked, hands roamed. Kotetsu plunged his fingers into Bunny's silky hair like he'd been wanting to all morning. Barnaby's palms smoothed down his chest before one clamped onto his lower back and the other cupped the base of his neck. Last night, Kotetsu had purposefully kept the pace slow, trying to initiate Bunny as gently as possible. Today, though, he let Barnaby choose the pace, which suited him just fine at wicked fast and brutally hot.

Jesus, the guy learned fast, Kotetsu hazily thought, the kiss sending fire down his spine like a molten spike. Normally, he would have thought they'd be bouncing off the walls and furniture, wrestling for control. But their equal strength pitted them against each other, leaving them planted exactly where they'd connected, both wildly determined to take all they could. It wasn't his usual way, but Kotetsu liked it like that sometimes; selfish and greedy and messy.

Clamped together as they were, Kotetsu could feel every detail of Barnaby, and God, what he felt was fucking amazing. Bunny shifted slightly for a better angle, and there it was – the flow of muscle across his shoulders under Kotetsu's palms. His body couldn't decide if it wanted to go limp or ballistic, so it settled on ratcheting up the heat, pushing him to dive into the wet press of lips and tongues with renewed zeal. The top of one of Bunny's glasses lenses kept banging against Kotetsu's forehead, but he couldn't give less of a damn as the fire emanating from the two of them left him scorched and hungry. It shouldn't feel good, but it did, rendering him deliciously needy and sensitized.

Eventually, oxygen became a concern, and their lips reluctantly parted to fill their lungs with hitching gasps. With obvious, almost dazed reluctance, they drew apart, still maintaining lingering touches along arms and shoulders, hips and ribs. Barnaby looked at him for a second, cautious and unsure, before he seemed to reach a decision and leaned forward, nuzzling at Kotetsu's temple. Sighing softly, Kotetsu stumbled a little when Barnaby exerted gentle pressure, nudging him back with the light push of his fingertips on his hips.

Kotetsu thought Bunny was gaining some space, a little overwhelmed by the kiss, especially one as hot and aggressive as that one had been, and in their workplace, of all places. That was probably why he was ridiculously startled when the backs of his thighs bumped against an edge, sending him plopping down on the conference room table. His breathing was already stuttering from the surprise when Barnaby rested his hand directly on Kotetsu's sternum, the gentle press of his palm slowly pushing Kotetsu back until he was propped up on his elbows, knees slightly spread and his entire frame trustingly vulnerable.

Bunny lingered over him, his eyes bright like collapsing stars, burning hot and intensely alluring. He stood between Kotetsu's knees, one hand still on his chest while the other braced next to his hip once it had removed Barnaby's glasses, holding him only inches away. Kotetsu could feel the heat pouring off of him, seeping into his bones like honey. He held still, waiting, looking into those spooky, gleaming eyes. Kotetsu didn't want to push off the table – he wanted to see what Barnaby would do. He had that look again; bright and determined and a little feral. It was weirdly easy to let his muscles go lax, to allow Barnaby to do whatever he wanted, to let him lead the way and discover what he was capable of.

Leaning in, Barnaby brushed his lips against Kotetsu's once, twice. Instinctively, Kotetsu tilted up his chin to deepen the pressure to get more of that beautiful mouth, sending his hat flopping lightly on the table, but Barnaby backed off, cruising his lips along Kotetsu's jaw before he settled back again. This time, as he slowly pressed their mouths together, nibbling softly and trying several angles, Kotetsu struggled to stay still, to just feel. When Bunny ran his tongue a little hesitantly across the seam of Kotetsu's lips, he just sighed as Barnaby's tongue slowly swept into his mouth, exploring and testing and teasing.

As his partner continued his exhaustive, achingly slow assault on his mouth, Kotetsu could barely keep himself supported on his elbows, his blood howling for more and his muscles going plush, his brain feeling like it was leaking out of his ears. Barnaby tasted faintly of the berries he put in his morning smoothie, and Kotetsu could make out the faint scent of pine. He was a little blown away by the fact that he couldn't get enough of it. The hand on his sternum was a warm, welcome weight. When Barnaby stroked his thumb along Kotetsu's ribs, a strangely affectionate gesture when paired with the devastating single-minded of his kiss, Kotetsu's breath hitched and struggled to even back out.

It didn't take long for Barnaby to systematically find the things that triggered a response in Kotetsu, and he couldn't breathe for a good five seconds after Bunny slowly sank his teeth into his lower lip. He soothed the soft hurt with a firm, almost branding kiss, before finally drawing back a few inches.

"You have paperwork waiting for you," Barnaby said quietly, utterly serious, his eyes glinting but his face smooth. Kotetsu could only blink at him. What… the hell? Bunny finally stepped fully back, taking that clever mouth and warm hand with him. He slid his glasses back on, tugging his jacket straight before smoothing his hair, retreating behind that professional, controlled mask. Apparently satisfied that no one would guess he'd been making out with his partner in a deserted conference room, Barnaby pivoted, heading for the door.

He may have been more than a decade Barnaby's senior, but that didn't mean Kotetsu was anything to sneeze at physically. He laid there boneless for another second before lunging to his feet. Managing to outmaneuver and dodge in front of Barnaby, Kotetsu glared at his apparent nonchalance as he blocked him from leaving. That was _not_ how Kotetsu planned this whole thing going. Yeah, they had to keep it locked up around other people, but would it kill the guy to display a little damn affection in private?

"Whoa, Bunny, what the –?" Before Kotetsu had much of a chance to get pissed, something crackled through Bunny's eyes like wildfire and he yanked him closer, kissing the daylights out of him with a heat Kotetsu had sensed simmering under that layer of exploration and control. His first thought was to melt against him, but Kotetsu's irritation shimmered into desire, and he aggressively returned the kiss, forcing Barnaby back one step.

Barnaby eventually turned his head away, struggling to catch his breath. Confused, his brain still murky with arousal, Kotetsu tried to catch his eyes – they were the easiest part of him to read, which wasn't all that easy, honestly. Finally, he saw something leak from behind that mask – wary alarm. Frowning slightly, Kotetsu puzzled over it for a few seconds.

He tried to remember his first few sexual encounters – since it had been Tomoe, that wasn't a thought he wanted to linger on for any length of time while wrapped up in a man's arms. But, considering the kind of guy Barnaby was, this was an awful lot to suddenly be feeling when he worked so hard to keep the actually feeling business of being human to a minimum. And Kotetsu had already seen what happened to Bunny when his emotions went on a rollercoaster ride, leaving him overwhelmed – nothing good. Panic, self-recrimation, and that ever dependable instinct to step back from connection.

As realization dawned, Kotetsu pressed a warm kiss to Bunny's sharp cheekbone before gently stepping away. The look of confusion on his face was pretty fucking adorable, not to mention the way he tilted his head slightly like some sleek, beautiful puppy. Giving himself a moment as he retrieved his hat from where it lay defenseless on the table, Kotetsu flicked open the lock on the door, smiling over his shoulder winningly.

"And you've got that filing project to finish. But this is far from over, hot shot." Tucking his hands in his pockets, he strolled away, whistling idly to himself. His lips still tingled a little, he thought as he skated his teeth over them. He was pretty sure he'd never been kissed quite like that before. Damn, this was fun.

* * *

Barnaby stood in the echoingly empty conference room for a few minutes after Kotetsu left. So many things had happened in the last few minutes, he wasn't quite sure which one should be prioritized as the most pressing concern. The fact that Kotetsu instigated a blood-burning kiss in their workplace in broad daylight? Or the way he'd surrendered under Barnaby's tentatively offered exploration? The way Barnaby had nearly lost the sweaty grip on his control when Kotetsu had gone pliant under him? Or the abominable way he'd finally lost that control when Kotetsu had confronted him, irritated for some reason Barnaby could not fathom?

The strangest of all was that gentle kiss on the cheek at the end. There was just no puzzling out what that meant, only that it left a warm fizzle in his stomach. Taking another second to make sure he looked presentable in the reflection of that deceptively innocuous snack machine, Barnaby headed back to the office. He used the walk to bring himself under command, trying not to wince at his regrettable behavior. Once Barnaby returned, it was like every other day at the office from all the years before.

As he passed Kotetsu's desk, his partner casually offered the open bag of Crackles. Normally, he'd say no, but considering he'd bought the things, and had damn well earned them, Barnaby plucked a single chocolate cluster from the bag. Their eyes met, and it was understood – a peace offering and uniting factor and gift all in one. As he sat at his desk and popped the chocolate in his mouth, Barnaby glanced down at his fingers at the smear of chocolate left behind. Apparently, the candy was a bit melted. Probably had something to do with being caught in the crossfire of a couple of heat waves. When he caught Kotetsu's eye as he used a tissue to clean his fingertips, they exchanged faint smirks. Florence just rolled her eyes and got back to work.

* * *

_God, these guys are such goobers. I have the first volume of T&B coming in the mail to join the second one I already own, which will mean I'll be re-watching the series over the next week. I want a more thorough grasp of these guys' quirks before we get into the concept of actually dating. _

_Super interesting note: on TVTropes, they mention how Barnaby's late parents look like Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer. Which means Barnaby is kind of the son of Batman and Catwoman. Barnaby also lost his parents who were murdered tragically when he was very young, sending him careening down a path of vengeance that ultimately led to the life of a hero. OMG. Barnaby isn't just Batman Jr., he's Batman v. 2. Those clever bastards. How awesome is that?_

_By the by, I made Crackles up. They're basically Buncha Crunch._

_Review, you gorgeous people. Please?_

_Hope you like it!_

_Love, Tango_


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